Resting Heart Rate is Associated with White-Collar Criminal Convictions

• In Event: Psychopathic Personality, Antisocial Behavior, and Crime: The Role of Psychophysiology

Abstract

Low resting heart rate (RHR) is considered the best-replicated biological correlate for antisocial and conventional criminal behaviors. However, there is limited research investigating whether this relationship extends to white-collar (WC) crime, which has been suggested to be categorically different than conventional crimes. To date, only one study (Piquero et al., 2020) has examined the relationship between RHR and WC offending, reporting that RHR was not associated with self-reported WC offending. Using data (n=707,490) from the Swedish national registers, this study investigates whether RHR is associated with WC convictions. Results from Cox proportional hazard regression models suggest that low RHR is associated with an increased risk of a WC conviction (aHR: 1.10, 95% CI [1.07, 1.14]) while high RHR is associated with decreased risk of a WC conviction (aHR: 0.82, 95% CI [0.79, 0.84]), after adjusting for relevant covariates. Implications and future directions will be discussed.

Authors

• Shichun Ling, California State University, Los Angeles

• Sofi Oskarsson, School of Behavioural, Social and Legal Sciences, Örebro University

• Anneli Andersson, School of Behavioural, Social and Legal Sciences, Örebro University

• Catherine Tuvblad, School of Behavioural, Social and Legal Sciences, Örebro University

• Henrik Larsson, Örebro University / Karolinska Institute