Does the heartbeat influence decision making?

A recent study from the University of Toronto (Canada) published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General reveals that if we hear a fast heart beat – even if the beat is not ours but we think it is – our behavior changes. Specifically, a racing heart leads us to show more predisposition to fight injustice , as well as to invest time in helping others and defending causes that we consider morally just.

We also tend to be more honest and less selfish when we notice that our hearts are racing , as the study authors found in an experiment, which revealed that the moral judgments we make about what happens around us are influenced by the rhythm of the heartbeat.

The authors suspect that a racing heart is perceived as a physiological sign of distress, and therefore invites us to "do the right thing" to feel better .

The findings are related to previous studies from the University of Chicago (USA) that suggested that we link our unconscious perception of threat and safety levels to the heartbeat. And that the vagus nerve, which connects the brain and the heart. and it makes us respond with an acceleration of the heartbeat to a possible threat.