Lie scores are associated with less cardiovascular reactivity to baroreceptor stimulation and to mental arithmetic stress

This study examined the relationship between Lie (or social desirability) scores and cardiovascular reactivity to both mental arithmetic (a stressor) and baroreceptor stimulation. The Lie scale of the German version of the Eysenck Personality Inventory was found to be negatively associated (r = −0.46) with systolic blood pressure reactivity to a computer administered mental arithmetic task in a sample of 23 adult men. Similarly, Lie scores were inversely related to the heart rate change elicited by stimulation of the carotid baroreceptors (r = −0.495). Results are consistent with other findings of higher Lie or social desirability scores being associated with diminished responsiveness to a variety of stimuli that are neither neutral nor confounded by a social desirability component (including sexual arousal, acoustic evoked potentials, and pain tolerance).