Perspective on self-regulatory capacity and the vagus nerve: Have we wandered too far?

Abstract

The concept of self regulation has been of interest to psychologists for decades, and physiological mechanisms that underpin self regulatory ability are of clinical interest. Two mechanistic theories have been proposed: the polyvagal theory (PVT) and neurovisceral integration model (NVIM), each assuming vagus nerve activity to be a readout of self regulatory capacity. This paper critically examines the extant research that identifies purported associations between self-regulation and cardiac activity, confusion around constructs, misleading claims about the relationship between HF-HRV/RSA and vagal activity, methodological problems, errors in neuroanatomy, contradictory findings, and lack of consideration of social context and resource availability in defining effective self-regulation behaviors.