Low Resting Heart Rate May Predict Criminal Behavior

New findings published in JAMA Psychiatry reveal that men with low resting heart rates are more likely to be convicted of a crime.

In this recent study, researchers analyzed data from over 710,000 Swedish men born from 1958 to 1991 with up to 35.7 years of follow-up. The data used in the study examined the association of how resting heart rate in late adolescence could potentially predict violent criminal activity later in life.

Findings revealed that a low resting heart rate could at times be related to antisocial behavior in children, as well as adolescents. Furthermore, researchers also found that it could be seen as either an indicator of chronically low level of psychological arousal, that may lead some to seek stimulating experience or particularly stressful stimuli that can result in taking fearless or reckless action.

The statistics from the study specifically revealed that men with a low resting heart rate during late adolescence had a 39 percent higher chance of being convicted of a violent crime while the women had a 25 percent higher chance of being convicted of nonviolent crimes.

The participants' resting heart rate and blood pressure were also measured at mandatory military conscription testing when the men were an average age of 18 years old. There were 40,093 men convicted of a violent crime during nearly 12.9 million person-years of follow-up.

"Our results confirm that, in addition to being associated with aggressive and antisocial outcomes in childhood and adolescence, low resting heart rate increases the risk for violent and nonviolent antisocial behaviors in adulthood," the authors concluded.

Related Articles

Cognitive Impairment Increases Mortality Risk In Heart Failure Patients

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).