Cognition is affected by psychophysiological states. While the influence of stress on cognition has been investigated intensively, less studies have addressed how the opposite of stress, a state of relaxation, affects cognition. We investigated whether the extent of parasympathetic activation is positively related to divergent thinking. Sixty healthy female participants were randomly allocated to a standardized vagus nerve massage (n = 19), a standardized soft shoulder massage (n = 22), or a resting control group (n = 19). Subsequently, participants completed the Alternative Uses Test (AUT), a measure of divergent thinking. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a vagally mediated heart rate variability component, was monitored throughout the experiment. The area under the curve with respect to the increase was calculated for RSA trajectories as an indicator of vagal tone during the relaxing intervention. Regressions tested the effect of vagal tone on AUT outcomes. We found an association between vagal tone and subsequent AUT outcomes. Yet, this association was no longer significant when controlling for the effect of the creative potential of an individual, which was strongly related to AUT outcomes. Being exploratory, we found a positive association between creative potential and vagal tone. These results imply that creative potential might be related to the capacity to relax.

中文翻译：

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与压力相反。

认知受心理生理状态的影响。尽管已经对压力对认知的影响进行了深入研究，但很少有研究探讨压力的相反状态（一种放松状态）如何影响认知。我们调查了副交感神经激活的程度是否与发散思维正相关。60名健康的女性参与者被随机分配到标准化迷走神经按摩（n = 19），标准化软肩按摩（n = 22）或静息对照组（n = 19）。随后，参与者完成了替代使用测试（AUT），这是一种不同思维方式。在整个实验过程中都监测了呼吸窦性心律不齐（RSA），这是一种由阴道介导的心率变异性成分。计算RSA轨迹相对于增加的曲线下面积，作为放松干预期间迷走神经张力的指标。回归测试迷走神经张力对AUT结果的影响。我们发现迷走神经张力与随后的AUT结果之间存在关联。但是，在控制与AUT结果密切相关的个人创造潜能的影响时，这种联系不再重要。通过探索，我们发现创作潜能与迷走神经张力之间呈正相关。这些结果表明，创造潜力可能与放松的能力有关。当控制个人创造潜能的效果时，这种关联不再重要，这与AUT的结果密切相关。通过探索，我们发现创作潜能与迷走神经张力之间呈正相关。这些结果表明，创造潜能可能与放松的能力有关。当控制个人创造潜能的效果时，这种关联不再重要，这与AUT的结果密切相关。通过探索，我们发现创作潜能与迷走神经张力之间呈正相关。这些结果表明，创造潜能可能与放松的能力有关。