Diferencias en las concentraciones de cortisol en día de partido en jugadores internacionales de fútbol: titulares vs no titulares / Differences in cortisol concentrations on match day in elite- international football players: starters vs non starters / Diferenças nas concentrações do cortisol no dia do partido em jogadores internacionais de futebol: titularess vs não titulares

OBJETIVO: La hormona cortisol participa en situaciones de respuestas fisiológicas y conductuales, preparando al organismo para actuar en un momento de estrés de naturaleza física, insegura, o como lo es la competición deportiva, de ésta manera, se pretende como objetivo principal analizar las respuestas del cortisol de 20 futbolistas (titulares y no titulares) de nivel internacional durante un día de partido de competición. MÉTODO: Durante la Copa Mundial de la Fédération Internationale de Football Association 2018 en Rusia, fueron seleccionados 20 jugadores de un equipo nacional para obtener un perfil individualizado de los jugadores, analizándose durante el día de partido, mediante análisis salival en los primeros 30 minutos tras despertar (8.00 am). Para el análisis estadístico de diferencias entre grupos, se utilizó t-student (Grupo: titulares / no titulares) × 1 (Tiempo: basal). RESULTADOS: Con los resultados obtenidos, observamos un aumento en la Respuesta al Despertar del Cortisol en función de si los jugadores jugaban de inicio como titulares o iniciaban como no titulares, existiendo diferencia significativa (p = 0.005; P= 0.105) entre ambos grupos. CONCLUSIONES: Se observó un perfil diferenciado, con una diferencia en aumento de cortisol de los jugadores titulares, pudiendo deberse a un incremento de la tensión precompetitiva propia, en muchos casos necesaria para encarar la competición

OBJECTIVE: The hormone cortisol participates in situations of physiological and behavioral responses, preparing the body to act in a time of stress of a physical, insecure nature, or as is the sports competition, in this way, it is intended as the main objective to analyze the responses of cortisol of 20 players (starters and no starters) of international level during a match day. METHOD: During the 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup in Russia, 20 players from a national team were selected to obtain an individualized profile of the players, analyzed during the match day, by salivary analysis in the first 30 minutes after waking up (8.00 am). For the statistical analysis of differences between groups, t-student (Group: headlines / non-headlines) × 1 (Time: baseline) was used. RESULTS: With the results obtained, we observed an increase in the Awakening Response of Cortisol depending on whether the players played as starters or started as no starters, there being a significant difference (p = 0.005; P = 0.105) between both groups. CONCLUSIONS: A differentiated profile was observed, with a difference in cortisol increase in the starting players, and may be due to an increase in the pre-competitive tension of their own, in many cases necessary to face the competition

OBJETIVO: O hormônio cortisol participa de situações de respostas fisiológicas e comportamentais, preparando o corpo para agir em um momento de estresse de natureza física, insegura ou, como é a competição esportiva, dessa forma, pretende-se como principal objetivo analisar as respostas do cortisol de 20 jogadores (titulares e não titulares) de nível internacional durante uma jornada. MÉTODO: Durante a Copa do Mundo da Fédération Internationale de Football Association 2018 na Rússia, 20 jogadores de uma equipe nacional foram selecionados para obter um perfil individualizado dos jogadores, analisados durante a jornada, por análise salivar nos primeiros 30 minutos após acordar (8h). Para a análise estatística das diferenças entre os grupos, foi utilizado t-student (Grupo: manchetes / não manchetes) × 1 (Tempo: linha de base). RESULTADOS: Com os resultados obtidos, observamos um aumento no Awakening Response of Cortisol, dependendo se os jogadores jogaram como iniciantes ou começaram como não iniciantes, havendo uma diferença significativa (p = 0.005; P = 0.105) entre os dois grupos. CONCLUSÕES: Um perfil diferenciado foi observado, com uma diferença no aumento de cortisol dos jogadores iniciantes, e pode ser devido a um aumento da tensão pré-competitiva própria, em muitos casos necessários para enfrentar a competição

Sex differences in adolescents' cardiac reactivity and recovery under acute stress: The importance of nonlinear measures.

How well adolescents can self-regulate in the face of stressors has considerable implications for long-term well-being and risk of psychopathology. This study investigated sex differences in adolescents' cardiac reactivity and recovery during a stressful task. Measures of cardiac variability (linear) and complexity (nonlinear) were obtained from N = 92 adolescents, 41 males (M age = 13.28, SD = 0.69; BMI = 21.9) and 51 females (M age = 13.36, SD = 0.67; BMI = 21.5). The adolescents underwent the Trier Social Stress Test, consisting of five conditions: baseline, anticipation, social exposure, math task, and recovery. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that female in comparison to male adolescents showed lower cardiac complexity revealed by higher short-term scaling exponent at baseline (p = .006) and math (p = .013) and lower entropy at exposure (p = .013) and math (p = .012). A marginal between-groups effect was found for Higuchi's fractal dimension, F(1, 90) = 3.67, p = .059, ηp2  = .041, with females showing lower fractal dimension than males in math (p = .037). Linear measures did not reveal sex-related differences. Results suggest that adolescent females show lower cardiac complexity during stress. These findings support the importance of nonlinear cardiac measures for understanding cardiac reactivity during stress. Further research is needed to test the hypothesis that cardiac complexity is useful to detect an increased risk of emotional disorders, disorders that are more prevalent in women.

Activity in the dorsal ACC causes deterioration of sequential motor performance due to anxiety.

Performance anxiety can profoundly affect motor performance, even in experts such as professional athletes and musicians. Previously, the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety-induced performance deterioration have predominantly been investigated for individual one-shot actions. Sports and music, however, are characterized by action sequences, where many individual actions are assembled to develop a performance. Here, utilizing a novel differential sequential motor learning paradigm, we first show that performance at the junctions between pre-learnt action sequences is particularly prone to anxiety. Next, utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we reveal that performance deterioration at the junctions is parametrically correlated with activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). Finally, we show that 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the dACC attenuates the performance deterioration at the junctions. These results demonstrate causality between dACC activity and impairment of sequential motor performance due to anxiety, and suggest new intervention techniques against the deterioration.

Does increased effort compensate for performance debilitating test anxiety?

It is well established that test anxiety is negatively related to examination performance. Based on attentional control theory, the aim of this study was to examine whether increased effort can protect against performance debilitating test anxiety. Four hundred and sixty-six participants (male = 228; 48.9%; White = 346, 74.3%; mean age = 15.7 years) completed self-report measures of test anxiety and effort that were matched to performance on a high-stakes secondary school examination. The worry and bodily symptoms components of test anxiety were negatively, and effort, positively related to examination performance. Effort moderated the negative relation between bodily symptoms and examination performance. At low effort, the negative relationship was amplified and at high effort was attenuated. Compensatory effort protects performance against bodily symptoms but not worry. It is possible that the cognitive load on working memory arising from the combination of worry and examination demands may be too high to be compensated by effort. (PsycINFO Database Record

Neural Correlates of Choking Under Pressure: Athletes High in Sports Anxiety Monitor Errors More When Performance Is Being Evaluated.

We investigated the relationship between performance-related anxiety and the neural response to errors. Using the sport anxiety scale, we selected university athletes high in sports anxiety and low in sports anxiety. The two groups performed a spatial Stroop task while their performance was being evaluated by an experimenter and also during a control (i.e., no evaluation) condition. The error-related negativity was significantly larger during the evaluation than control condition among athletes who reported high performance-related anxiety. These results suggest that performance evaluation may make errors particularly aversive or salient for individuals who fail to perform well under pressure.

A better state-of-mind: deep breathing reduces state anxiety and enhances test performance through regulating test cognitions in children.

A pre-test/post-test, intervention-versus-control experimental design was used to examine the effects, mechanisms and moderators of deep breathing on state anxiety and test performance in 122 Primary 5 students. Taking deep breaths before a timed math test significantly reduced self-reported feelings of anxiety and improved test performance. There was a statistical trend towards greater effectiveness in reducing state anxiety for boys compared to girls, and in enhancing test performance for students with higher autonomic reactivity in test-like situations. The latter moderation was significant when comparing high-versus-low autonomic reactivity groups. Mediation analyses suggest that deep breathing reduces state anxiety in test-like situations, creating a better state-of-mind by enhancing the regulation of adaptive-maladaptive thoughts during the test, allowing for better performance. The quick and simple technique can be easily learnt and effectively applied by most children to immediately alleviate some of the adverse effects of test anxiety on psychological well-being and academic performance.

[Corrective effect of aromatherapy on indices of heart rate variability in students under exam stress conditions].

There were investigated changes in indices of the activity of regulatory mechanisms of heart rhythm in student under exam stress conditions and the possibility of their correction with aid of aromatherapy. The examination stress was established to be accompanied by pronounced shifts of integral and spectral indices of heart rhythm in students, indicating to the activation of the sympathetic circuit of Autonomic Nervous System in conditions of examination stress. A positive, relaxation impact of the essential oil of orange on the investigated indices was also recorded. The latter is expressed by weakly pronounced changes or lack of them in data of integral and spectral heart rate indices in students from the experimental group, that indicates to the stabilizing effect of used ethereal oil on the psycho-physiological state of students in conditions of exam stress

Temor a hablar en público en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios españoles / The fear of public speaking in a Spanish sample of university students

Las nuevas demandas del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior sobre el alumnado han propiciado el desarrollo de tareas estresoras que pueden generar ansiedad a los estudiantes, tal es el caso de las presentaciones orales. A pesar de los numerosos estudios sobre el tema, a nivel nacional encontramos pocos centrados en universitarios y posteriores a la implantación del Sistema Europeo de Trasferencia de Créditos. El objetivo del presente trabajo está dirigido a conocer los factores relacionados con el fenómeno. Sobre una muestra de 200 universitarios fueron administradas la Audience Anxiousness Scale, la Assertiveness Scale y el Inventario de Situaciones y Respuestas de Ansiedad. Los análisis de regresión múltiple mostraron que existe relación entre la asertividad y la ansiedad interpersonal y los comportamientos de miedo al hablar en público. Las conclusiones subrayan la importancia de saber gestionar nuestras conductas y cómo relacionarnos, como factores protectores contra la ansiedad cuando se habla en público

The new demands of the European Higher Education Area on students have stimulated the development of stressful tasks that can generate anxiety in students, as is the case of oral presentations. Despite the numerous studies on this topic, few national studies have focused on university students after the implementation of European Credit Transfer System. The aim of this study is to find out the factors that may be linked to this phenomenon. A sample of 200 university students completed the Audience Anxiousness Scale, the Assertiveness Scale and the Inventory of Situations and Responses of Anxiety. The regression analyses showed a strong relationship between assertiveness and interpersonal anxiety, and fear of public speaking. The findings highlight the importance of social skills and behavior management as protective factors against public speaking anxiety

[The Effect of Audiovisual Stimulation on Psychological and Physiological Functions in Athletes].

We studied the psychophysiological status (cognitive, psychoemotional and neurodynamic parameters), the power spectrum of EEG and heart rate variability of 18-23-year-old athletes, before and after a course of audiovisual stimulation (AVS) (experimental group) in comparison with sportsmen who did not receive AVS (control group). It was shown that a course of AVS (experimental group) has positive effect on psycho-emotional parameters (the levels of anxiety and neuroticism decreased; motivation to make progress and the level of hardiness increased), cognitive and neurodynamic parameters (the capacity of mechanical memory, the speed of attention switching and of a simple sensor-motor response increase; the range of fluctuation of reactions to a moving object is reduced). We also observed an increase in the power of α2 rhythm of EEG, the activity of parasympathetic nervous system and the influence of autonomic circuit of regulation in the experimental group; resting cardiac performance was more conservative as compared with the control group. We concluded that a course of AVS has positive effect on psychophysiological parameters and the mechanisms of autonomic heart regulation in athletes.

Anxiety's Effect on Muscle Activation and Fatigue in Trumpet Players: A Pilot Study.

Due to the high percentage of musicians who suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, there is a need for more research in the field of music and medicine. The purpose of this study was to analyze the possible relationship between anxiety, muscle activation, and muscle fatigue in undergraduate trumpet players. Assessment tools included surface electromyography (sEMG) data, State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) of perceived anxiety. Data were collected from 27 undergraduate music students across five universities (22 males, 5 females) aged 18 to 24 years. The three muscles targeted by the sEMG were the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and masseter muscles. Participants were randomly divided into two single-blinded groups: (1) anxiety-induction and (2) control. The anxiety-induction group was instructed to play as accurately as possible and informed that mistakes were being counted and evaluated, while the control group was instructed to play without any concern for possible mistakes. The anxiety-induction group was shown to have more masseter muscle activation than the control; the anxiety-induction group also displayed a higher fatigue rate in all three muscles versus the controls. Subjects with high perceived-anxiety (as measured by VAS) displayed higher masseter activation and higher fatigue rates in the upper trapezius and sternocleidomastoid than non-anxious participants. Despite these notable trends, there was no statistical significance for any of the muscle groups for muscle activation or fatigue.

Frontal theta activity during working memory in test anxiety.

Previous studies have shown that working memory (WM) processes are related to frontal-midline theta (FM-theta) activity (4-8 Hz) and test anxiety impairs WM performance. However, the effect of test anxiety on FM-theta activity during WM has not been investigated as yet. To examine this question, 37 undergraduates were asked to complete a modified reading span task involving neutral working memory capacity (WMC) and emotional WMC while their electroencephalography was measured. The results showed that relative to neutral WMC performance (the ability to remember the letter lists in the context of valence-neutral sentences), emotional WMC performance (the ability to remember the letter lists in the context of test-related sentences) was poorer for highly test anxious participants compared with lowly test anxious participants. Relative to FM-theta activity during remembering the letter lists in the valence-neutral context, FM-theta activity was weaker during remembering the letter lists in the test-related context for highly test anxious participants compared with lowly test anxious participants. These findings indicate that FM-theta is an index not only for successful WM manipulation but also for efficient prefrontal cortex functioning during WM.

Applying theories and interventions from behavioral medicine to understand and reduce visual field variability in patients with vision loss.

Visual field (VF) test results are often unreliable in visually impaired patients, but continue to be a cornerstone of clinical trials and play a vital role in clinical decision making since they are the primary method to determine patients' functional vision loss or progression. Currently, patients are typically asked to perform VF tasks with minimal instruction or consideration of their psychological experience during the test. The gradual loss of vision due to retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), or glaucoma can contribute to the experience of negative psychosocial states, such as anxiety, stress, and depression, as well as diminished quality of life. We hypothesize that VF testing elicits test performance anxiety and perception of functional losses of vision, which induces distracting negative thoughts that result in increased VF test variability. Resources for processing and responding to vision-related information may be diverted from task-relevant VF stimuli to task-irrelevant ones, such as internal worry and test anxiety, thereby resulting in VF test performance decrements. We present a theoretical model to support the hypothesis that VF variability is linked to patients' negative thoughts during VF testing. This conceptual framework provides a basis for the development of coping strategies and mindfulness-based interventions to be evaluated in future research aimed at improving psychosocial states and VF reliability in visually-impaired patients. It would be highly significant to intervene by modifying negative thoughts during VF testing to reduce test variability in glaucoma patients who are progressively losing vision to a blinding eye disease, but whose vision loss has not been accurately identified and treated early enough due to variable VF results. In clinical trials of potential interventions for RP and non-neovascular AMD, reducing VF variability would effectively increase the precision for detecting treatment effects and allow a reduction in the number of VF tests needed to estimate the treatment responses, thus reducing burden on investigators and patients, as well as saving time and money.

The biopsychosocial model of stress in adolescence: self-awareness of performance versus stress reactivity.

Extensive research among adults supports the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of challenge and threat, which describes relationships among stress appraisals, physiological stress reactivity, and performance; however, no previous studies have examined these relationships in adolescents. Perceptions of stressors as well as physiological reactivity to stress increase during adolescence, highlighting the importance of understanding the relationships among stress appraisals, physiological reactivity, and performance during this developmental period. In this study, 79 adolescent participants reported on stress appraisals before and after a Trier Social Stress Test in which they performed a speech task. Physiological stress reactivity was defined by changes in cardiac output and total peripheral resistance from a baseline rest period to the speech task, and performance on the speech was coded using an objective rating system. We observed in adolescents only two relationships found in past adult research on the BPS model variables: (1) pre-task stress appraisal predicted post-task stress appraisal and (2) performance predicted post-task stress appraisal. Physiological reactivity during the speech was unrelated to pre- and post-task stress appraisals and to performance. We conclude that the lack of association between post-task stress appraisal and physiological stress reactivity suggests that adolescents might have low self-awareness of physiological emotional arousal. Our findings further suggest that adolescent stress appraisals are based largely on their performance during stressful situations. Developmental implications of this potential lack of awareness of one's physiological and emotional state during adolescence are discussed.

Young-age gender differences in mathematics mediated by independent control or uncontrollability.

We studied whether the origins of math anxiety can be related to a biologically supported framework of stress induction: (un)controllability perception, here indicated by self-reported independent efforts in mathematics. Math anxiety was tested in 182 children (8- to 11-year-olds). Latent factor modeling was used to test hypotheses on plausible causal processes and mediations within competing models in quasi-experimental contrasts. Uncontrollability perception in mathematics, or (in)dependence of efforts, best fit the data as an antecedent of math anxiety. In addition, the relationship of math anxiety with gender was fully mediated by adaptive perception of control (i.e. controllability). That is, young boys differ from girls in terms of their experience of control in mathematics learning. These differences influence math anxiety. Our findings are consistent with recent suggestions in clinical literature according to which uncontrollability makes women more susceptible to fear and anxiety disorders.

Time-dependent changes in altruistic punishment following stress.

Decisions are rarely made in social isolation. One phenomenon often observed in social interactions is altruistic punishment, i.e. the punishment of unfair behavior by others at a personal cost. The tendency for altruistic punishment is altered by affective states including those induced by stress exposure. Stress is thought to exert bi-directional effects on behavior: immediately after stress, reflex-like and habitual behavior is promoted while later on more far-sighted, flexible and goal-directed behavior is enhanced. We hypothesized that such time-dependent effects of stress would also be present in the context of altruistic punishment behavior. Healthy male participants (N=80) were exposed to either a grouped stress test or a control condition. Participants were tested in prosocial decision making tasks either directly after stress or 75 min later. Altruistic punishment was assessed using the Ultimatum Game. General altruism was assessed with a one-shot version of the Dictator Game in which an anonymous donation could be offered to a charitable organization. We found that stress caused a bi-directional effect on altruistic punishment, with decreased rejection rates in the late aftermath of stress in response to ambiguous 30% offers. In the Dictator Game, stressed participants were less generous than controls, but no time-dependent effect was observed, indicating that the general reward sensitivity remained unchanged at various time-points after stress. Overall, during the late aftermath after acute stress exposure (i.e. 75 min later), participants acted more consistent with their own material self-interest, and had a lower propensity for altruistic punishment, possibly through upregulation of cognitive self-control mechanisms. Thus, our findings underscore the importance of time as a factor in simple, real-life economic decisions in a stressful social context.

Stress and strategic decision-making in the beauty contest game.

Often, economic decisions do not only depend on one's own preferences, but also on the choices of others and therefore require strategizing (i.e., thinking about what others might think). In experimental economics, this has been modeled by the beauty contest game. Another typical feature of economic decisions is that they are often carried out under stress. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to examine the influence of stress on decision-making in the beauty contest game. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) or a placebo version of the TSST-G (control condition). Then, participants played four rounds of a standard beauty contest game. As a biomarker of stress, salivary cortisol was measured. As predicted, participants under stress chose higher numbers in the beauty contest game than non-stressed participants, indicating less strategizing. This effect was mediated by the stress-induced increase in cortisol.

Effects of qigong on performance-related anxiety and physiological stress functions in transverse flute music schoolchildren: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: Based on individual cases of treatment, we were interested in whether the effects of a special kind of qigong, the "White Ball" exercises, can be objectified by physically measurable parameters and psychological scores. METHODS: We performed a preliminary prospective controlled interventional study with the waiting list design. In the qigong group eight children were included. They received specific qigong lessons of the "White Ball" qigong over seven weeks, twice a week, for 30 min with a waiting list design and instructions to perform the same exercises at home daily. In the control group eight children were included in a waiting list design with no qigong instruction. Subjective perception of anxiety was measured by the Portuguese version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale adapted for children. In addition, salivary cortisol, heart rate variability, blood pressure, surface electromyography of the trapezius muscle and reaction time were measured at the beginning and the end of the study prior to the regular public auditions. RESULTS: In comparison to the changes in the control group, the qigong group scored significantly lower in heart rate. Otherwise the groups did not differ significantly; however, the effect size was large for salivary cortisol, surface electromyography of the trapezius muscle and blood pressure. There were relevant reductions of subjective perception of anxiety, salivary cortisol levels and heart rate. CONCLUSION: The heart rate of performing schoolchildren can be potentially reduced by "White Ball" exercises. Based on a sample of 8/8, positive tendencies were also observed for anxiety and blood pressure. The next steps of objectifying possible qigong effects are to increase the sample size, to study young people in other situations arousing anxiety, to develop an appropriate control intervention, to solve the problem of blinding and double blinding, to find additional parameters that may be influenced by the "White Ball" qigong, and to compare the qigong effects with other methods reducing anxiety such as more traditional biofeedback or systematic desensitization.

Hyperventilation in anticipatory music performance anxiety.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Self-report studies have shown an association between music performance anxiety (MPA) and hyperventilation complaints. However, hyperventilation was never assessed physiologically in MPA. This study investigated the self-reported affective experience, self-reported physiological symptoms, and cardiorespiratory variables including partial pressure of end-tidal CO(2) (Petco(2)), which is an indicator for hyperventilation, in 67 music students before a private and a public performance. The response coherence between these response domains was also investigated. RESULTS: From the private to the public session, the intensity of all self-report variables increased (all p values < .001). As predicted, the higher the musician's usual MPA level, the larger were these increases (p values < .10). With the exception of Petco(2), the main cardiorespiratory variables also increased from the private to the public session (p values < .05). These increases were not modulated by the usual MPA level (p values > .10). Petco(2) showed a unique response pattern reflected by an MPA-by-session interaction (p < .01): it increased from the private to the public session for musicians with low MPA levels and decreased for musicians with high MPA levels. Self-reported physiological symptoms were related to the self-reported affective experience (p values < .05) rather than to physiological measures (p values > .17). CONCLUSIONS: These findings show for the first time how respiration is stimulated before a public performance in music students with different MPA levels. The hypothesis of a hyperventilation tendency in high-performance-anxious musicians is supported. The response coherence between physiological symptoms and physiological activation is weak.

Motor coordination and psychosocial correlates in a normative adolescent sample.

OBJECTIVES: Previous research has revealed an important relationship between motor coordination difficulties and internalizing problems such as anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, further research is needed to understand the potential mediating factors in this relationship. The aim of the current study was to examine whether the association between motor coordination and emotional functioning is mediated by self-perceptions in a normative sample of adolescents. METHODS: Participants included 93 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 provided 2 indicators of motor coordination; the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire and Spence Children's Anxiety Scale provided 2 indicators of emotional functioning; and the Self-Description Questionnaire--II provided 6 indicators for self-perceived competence. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling revealed that motor coordination affects emotional functioning via self-perceptions. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the relationship between motor coordination and emotional functioning in adolescents from a normative sample may be understood in terms of a mechanism by which motor coordination has an indirect impact on emotional outcomes through various self-perception domains. These findings have important implications for increasing awareness and developing appropriate treatment programs for motor coordination and emotional difficulties.

The relationship between blushing propensity, social anxiety and facial blood flow during embarrassment.

To investigate blushing in relation to blushing propensity scores and core elements of social anxiety, facial blood flow was monitored in 86 normal volunteers during an embarrassing task (singing a children's song). Increases in facial blood flow were greater in women than men, as were scores on the Blushing Propensity and Fear of Negative Evaluation scales. In addition, high scores on the Blushing Propensity and Social Interaction Anxiety scales were associated with large increases in facial blood flow during singing. However, this appeared to be due primarily to social anxiety because the association between blushing propensity scores and changes in facial blood flow disappeared when social interaction anxiety scores were taken into account. These findings suggest that people generally base their beliefs about blushing on cues other than changes in facial blood flow. Social anxiety may augment increases in facial blood flow during embarrassment, independently of expected or perceived blushing.