Cooperative Hearts: Perceived Stress and Cardiac Vagal Tone in Preadolescents’ Cooperative Behaviors

Early adolescence is a critical period characterized by challenges and increased peer interactions. The literature presents conflicting findings on the relationship between stress and prosocial behaviors, with no data on perceived ongoing stress and cooperation. Additionally, the protective role of Cardiac Vagal Tone (CVT), a biological marker of self-regulation, has not been studied in this context. This study aims to fill this gap by examining 117 early adolescents. Participants completed questionnaires on demographics and perceived stress. ECG was recorded to compute CVT, and cooperative behavior was assessed using the Slingshot Challenge Game. Results indicated that perceived stress negatively correlated with cooperation, while CVT showed a U-shaped relationship with cooperation. CVT moderated the perceived stress-cooperation link, suggesting that higher stress decreased cooperation only in adolescents with lower CVT. These findings highlight CVT’s potential as a protective factor, indicating that interventions to enhance CVT may improve cooperative behaviors in stressed early adolescents.