Emma Mosley

Bournemouth University | BU · Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Science

Breathing techniques, particularly slow-paced breathing (SPB), have gained popularity among athletes due to their potential to enhance performance by increasing cardiac vagal activity (CVA), which in turn can help manage stress and regulate emotions. However, it is still unclear whether the frequency of SPB affects its effectiveness in increasing C...

This contribution highlights the significance of using vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV), a general indicator of adaptation, as an actionable biomarker to assess and enhance self-regulation abilities in individuals and organizations. The paper reviews the state-of-the-art on vmHRV and introduces various techniques to enhance vmHRV, in...

In sports, physical recovery following exercise‐induced fatigue is mediated via the reactivation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). A non‐invasive way to quantify the reactivation of the PNS is to assess vagally‐mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV), which can then be used as an index of physical recovery. This systematic review and met...

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a psychophysiological measure of particular interest in esports due to its potential to monitor player self-regulation. This study aimed to systematically review the utilisation of HRV in esports. Consideration was given to the methodological and theoretical underpinnings of previous works to provide recommendations...

Dual career athletes are exposed to many stressors, for example, balancing deadlines with competition schedules. Slow-paced breathing (SPB) is an accessible relaxation technique, which can be practiced via smartphone applications, however delivery through applications has limited exploration. We discuss a four-week intervention delivered to dual ca...

Breathing techniques are predicted to affect specific physical and psychological states, such as relaxation or activation, that might benefit physical sport performance (PSP). Techniques include slow-paced breathing (SPB), fast-paced breathing (FBP), voluntary hyperventilation (VH), breath-holding (BH), and alternate- and uni-nostril breathing. A s...

Sport and Exercise Psychology (SEP) often adopts physiological markers in theory and practice, and one measure receiving increasing attention is heart rate variability (HRV). This paper aimed to provide a scoping review of the use of HRV within SEP. The protocol was made available on the Open Science Framework. Study inclusion criteria were examina...

Introduction Slow-paced breathing (SPB) is a well-known relaxation technique in athletes, which has also the potential to help optimize addiction treatments based on its effects on the autonomic nervous system. Specifically, these effects directly impact cardiac vagal activity (CVA), the activity of the vagus nerve regulating cardiac functioning. T...

Voluntary slow breathing (VSB) is used as a prevention technique to support physical and mental health, given it is suggested to influence the parasympathetic nervous system. However, to date, no comprehensive quantitative review exists to support or refute this claim. We address this through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of...

This article shares a joint reflection of three practitioners who provided specialist support to one elite motor sport athlete. The 9-month program began with the broad aim of making the driver better prepared for performance at the highest level using the practitioners’ experience. One practitioner specialized in athlete well-being and performance...

Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback, referring to slow‐paced breathing (SPB) realized while visualizing a heart rate, HRV, and/or respiratory signal, has become an adjunct treatment for a large range of psychologic and medical conditions. However, the underlying mechanisms explaining the effectiveness of HRV biofeedback still need to be uncove...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been causing major disruptions in the sporting world. Negative physiological and psychological effects on athletes have been reported, such as respiratory issues and increased stress. Therefore, it is timely to support this population by presenting cost-effective and accessible intervention techniques to...

The aim of this experiment was to test the immediate effects of slow-paced breathing on executive function. Slow-paced breathing is suggested to increase cardiac vagal activity, and the neurovisceral integration model predicts that higher cardiac vagal activity leads to better executive functioning. In total, 78 participants (41 men, 37 women; M ag...

Previous views on the construct of intuition deemed it unreliable and only purely analytical thinking was seen as the ideal form of human reasoning. However, now there is increasing empirical evidence that intuitions can play a vital role in successful human adaptation. Intuitions are a non‐deliberative mode of thinking, based on knowledge stored i...

Previous views on the construct of intuition deemed it unreliable and only purely analytical thinking was seen as the ideal form of human reasoning. However, now there is increasing empirical evidence that intuitions can play a vital role in successful human adaptation. Intuitions are a non‐deliberative mode of thinking, based on knowledge stored i...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of an emotional competences (EC) training with domestic horses on equestrianś trait EC. To this end, an experimental group (n = 26) received a specific EC training intervention with horses as medium (in group format), whereas the control group (n = 25) did not receive any training. The intervention co...

The manifestations of emotions go hand in hand with sport and, as a result, have the ability to permeate sporting performance. Emotional intelligence (EI) is broadly defined as the individual responses to intrapersonal or interpersonal emotional information and incorporates the identification, expression, understanding, and regulation of one’s own...

The effects of power posing on hormonal reactions such as testosterone and cortisol have been widely investigated , however, its effects on the autonomic nervous system are rather unknown. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of power posing on cardiac vagal activity (CVA), as indexed by heart rate variability. It wa...

This research aims to investigate whether slow-paced breathing (SPB) improves adaptation to psychological stress, and specifically inhibition, when it is performed before or after physical exertion (PE). According to the resonance model, SPB is expected to increase cardiac vagal activity (CVA). Further, according to the neurovisceral integration mo...

Breathing techniques are part of traditional relaxation methods; however, their influence on psychophysiological variables related to sleep is still unclear. Consequently, the aim of this paper was to investigate the influence of a 30-day slow-paced breathing intervention compared to social media use on subjective sleep quality and cardiac vagal ac...

Cardiac vagal control (CVC) reflects the activity of the vagus nerve regulating cardiac functioning. CVC can be inferred via heart rate variability measurement, and it has been positively associated to a broad range of cognitive, emotional, social, and health outcomes. It could then be considered as an indicator for effective self-regulation, and g...

The aim of this commentary is to contextualize the findings of the study "Emotional intelligence impact on half-marathon finish times" (Rubaltelli et al., 2018), which concluded that trait emotional intelligence predicted half-marathon finish times above and beyond training. The aim of this commentary is to highlight some methodological and interpr...

The aim of this study was to assess the predictive role of coping related variables (trait emotional intelligence and reinvestment, challenge and threat appraisals and cardiac vagal activity) on cardiac vagal activity and working memory under low pressure (LP) and high pressure (HP) conditions. Participants (n = 49) completed trait questionnaires,...

This study investigated the effects of a brief hypnosis including relaxation suggestions on physiological markers of relaxation, cardiac vagal activity, and breathing frequency. Forty participants were tested in a within-subjects design. Participants listened to a recorded hypnosis session and to a nonhypnotic recording. No differences were found r...

The aim of this chapter is twofold: first, to introduce the reader to the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in sports and physical activity, and second, to have an intervention focus achieved through applied activities that enable the development of different dimensions of EI. The chapter begins with an introduction to the theory that underpins E...

The aim of this paper is to set the stage for the vagal tank theory, showcasing a functional resource account for self-regulation. The vagal tank theory, building on neurophysiological, cognitive and social psychology approaches, will introduce a physiological indicator for self-regulation that has mainly been ignored from cognitive and social psyc...

The aims of this study were to assess the predictive role of coping-related variables (CRV) on cardiac vagal activity (derived from heart rate variability), and to investigate the influence of CRV (and cardiac vagal activity) on prone rifle shooting performance under low pressure (LP) and high pressure (HP) conditions. Participants (n = 38) compete...

Self-regulation plays a critical role in sport performance. An objective, psychophysiological marker of self-regulation is cardiac vagal activity, the activity of the vagus nerve regulating cardiac functioning. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of factors influencing cardiac vagal activity, which can be useful for athletes. Specifical...

The aim of this study is to explore the contribution of cardiac vagal activity (CVA), derived from heart rate variability (HRV), on peripheral perception under pressure. Forty-nine participants (n = 49) completed a peripheral perception task under pressure. Peripheral perception was measured via the Vienna system from which performance variables we...

The aims of this study were 1) to assess the predictive role of coping related variables (CRV) on cardiac vagal activity (derived from heart rate variability), and 2) to investigate the influence of CRV (including cardiac vagal activity) on a dart throwing task under low pressure (LP) and high pressure (HP) conditions. Participants (n = 51) complet...

Psychophysiological research integrating heart rate variability (HRV) has increased during the last two decades, particularly given the fact that HRV is able to index cardiac vagal tone. Cardiac vagal tone, which represents the contribution of the parasympathetic nervous system to cardiac regulation, is acknowledged to be linked with many phenomena...

The aim of this study was twofold: first, to replicate the positive association between sport participation and positive personality-trait-like individual differences (PTLID), and second to investigate whether athletes from individual and team sports would differ regarding positive PTLID. Participants of this study 600 non-athletes and 600 athletes...

The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence (EI) training intervention to improve EI at trait level. Sixty-seven rugby players participated in the study. One group received a specific EI training intervention, while the other group served as a control group. The intervention consisted of four face-to-face sessio...

Will is an amateur boxer who is fighting in the heavy weight final against an unbeaten opponent whom he has wanted to beat since he started competing. He has suffered defeats from this athlete before but always picks himself back up and is determined he can win this time. He has put in hours of training because he wants to be perfect and uses his h...

Heart rate variability (HRV) is acknowledged to play a role on performance given its links with cognition and stress. These links originate in the connection of HRV with the prefrontal cortex through neural pathways including the vagus nerve. Importantly, some foundational stable characteristics of individuals, which are referred to in this chapter...