The Role of Emotional Arousal and Regulation In Positive Reciprocity: A Biological Approach

Previous research has shown that emotional arousal predicts negative reciprocity, and emotion regulation is related to self-interested behavior. However, research on positive reciprocity is scarce, especially from a biological perspective. We had fifty-nine participants played as the receivers, in a one-shot version of the trust-game, customarily used to study positive reciprocity. Participants chose how much money (if any) to send back to two independent investors. Before and during the decision, we measured participants' heart rates and electrodermal activity– a marker of emotional arousal, and heart-rate variability– a marker of emotion regulation. Findings showed that electrodermal activity during the game positively predicted reciprocity, whereas heart-rate variability before the game predicted a preference for self-interest. Heart rate, both pre and during the game, predicted positive reciprocity. These findings reinforce the notion that, as negative reciprocity, positive reciprocity is emotionally driven, whereas cognitive control (i.e., emotion regulation) is required to maintain one's self-interest.