In recent years, growing interest has emerged in the use of psychobiotics and adaptogens for regulating stress and anxiety. However, it is essential to assess their effectiveness as treatment alternatives, particularly given the limitations of conventional approaches, such as adverse effects of pharmacological therapies and the limited remission rates associated with psychotherapy alone. This systematic review primarily aims to assess how effective psychobiotics and adaptogens are in alleviating stress- and anxiety-related psychophysiological symptoms. A secondary aim is to identify specific bacterial strains and herbal compounds most consistently linked to beneficial outcomes. An extensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using the terms ((adaptogens) OR (psychobiotics)) AND (stress), resulting in 23 selected articles. The findings suggest that both psychobiotics and adaptogens show promise in reducing stress- and anxiety-related symptoms. Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus were frequently associated with improved gut–brain axis regulation, while Withania somnifera and Rhodiola rosea demonstrated physiological benefits through cortisol reduction and stress adaptation. Although results are encouraging, further research is needed to confirm long-term efficacy and clarify the specific mechanisms and compounds responsible for these effects.

Decision-making styles are a habit-based propensity that drive behavior and affect daily life. Rational and intuitive decision-making styles have been associated with good mental health. However, the underlying mechanisms are not clear. In the last decade, high basal levels of heart rate variability (HRV) have been proposed as an index of health and emotional control, and this could be one of the variables involved in the effects of decision making on health. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the capability of decision-making styles to predict resting HRV. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 199 (119 women) young university students, and a resting ECG was recorded to extract frequency domain HRV variables. Subsequently, participants completed sociodemographic data and the General Decision-Making Style questionnaire (GDMS). Results showed that the intuitive style predicted high-frequency HRV, while the avoidant style predicted less low-frequency HRV. This study presents new data on the relationship between decision-making style and HRV, suggesting that the intuitive style has a cardioprotective effect, while the avoidant style is related to lower HRV, which has been associated with health vulnerability. In conclusion, this study contributes to the understanding of HRV and its potential as a biomarker for cognitive styles that may improve health.

Mindfulness practice has been recognized as an effective method for reducing stress, enhancing self-awareness, and improving overall well-being, influencing various cognitive processes such as attention and self-control. While extensive research has focused on long-term mindfulness programs, recent years have seen the emergence of brief mindfulness practices. This study aims to investigate the effects of brief mindfulness on electrophysiological responses, and performance in a self-competitive context. A total of 52 participants were divided into two groups for the experiment. They were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: a brief mindfulness practice (n = 29) or a control intervention (n = 23), each lasting 10 min. Initially, participants completed a cognitive task (Tower of Hanoi—ToH), followed by their respective intervention. Participants then performed the ToH task again, with encouragement to exceed their previous performance. Measures were taken for performance metrics and psychophysiological responses—including electrodermal response (EDA) and cardiovascular parameters. The results indicated that a brief mindfulness significantly enhanced performance (p < 0.05), increased self-efficacy (including self-confidence and perceived task importance) prior to the ToH task, and reduced the perceived difficulty of the task upon completion. Moreover, an increase in EDA was found in the brief mindfulness group. However, no significant changes in the measured cardiovascular responses were observed. These findings suggest that brief mindfulness can effectively improve cognitive task performance by enhancing self-efficacy and reshaping task perception.

(1) Eating disorders (EDs), characterized by symptoms such as restrictive eating, binge eating, compensatory behaviors, and emotional dysregulation, are associated with autonomic nervous system dysregulation, which may contribute to cardiovascular complications. This review systematically examines the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and core ED symptoms to identify specific autonomic patterns linked to behaviors like fasting, binge eating, and emotional dysregulation. (2) A total of 16 cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were narratively synthesized following PRISMA guidelines. All studies were selected from the Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. (3) Findings indicate that individuals with anorexia nervosa exhibit blunted sympathetic reactivity and reduced parasympathetic flexibility, particularly during stress or physical activity, with HRV measures normalizing after weight restoration. In contrast, binge eating and loss-of-control eating are associated with lower resting HRV, which correlates with the severity of eating behaviors. Reactive HRV also varies with food cues and emotional states, showing complex autonomic responses in individuals with EDs. Emotional dysregulation, consistently marked by reduced high-frequency HRV, is a key feature across these disorders. (4) These results suggest that HRV patterns may serve as physiological markers of ED symptomatology, offering insights for targeted interventions aimed at improving both emotional regulation and cardiovascular health in affected individuals.

Background: Gambling Disorder (GD) is associated with elevated emotional dysregulation, maladaptive decision-making, and heightened suicide risk, yet the relationships among these domains remain insufficiently integrated within a single clinical framework. Methods: Forty-four treatment-seeking adults with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edn, DSM-5) diagnosis of GD completed measures of gambling severity (National Opinion Research Center DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS)), emotional dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)), alexithymia (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)), hot decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), Mixed Gamble Task (MGT)), cold decision-making and decisional style (Lottery Choice Task (LCT), General Decision-Making Style questionnaire (GDMS)), suicidal ideation (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)), and psychological functioning (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)). Exploratory correlational analyses and k-means clustering, confirmed with hierarchical clustering, were conducted. Results: Higher emotional dysregulation was associated with lower loss aversion in hot decision-making and with more avoidant and spontaneous decision-making styles; recent gambling severity was also associated with lower loss aversion as well. Higher alexithymia was associated with reduced gain and loss sensitivity in cold decision making. Cluster analysis identified a higher-risk profile characterized by greater emotional dysregulation, higher recent gambling severity, greater suicidal ideation, higher alexithymia, and a more spontaneous decisional style. Conclusions: Although exploratory, these findings support a multidimensional risk framework in which emotional vulnerability and decisional tendencies jointly characterize clinically relevant heterogeneity in GD. The results underscore the importance of incorporating emotion focused and suicide-risk assessment strategies into the clinical evaluation of individuals with GD.

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