Attentional biases of social anxiety including self-focus and attention to perceived negative evaluation from others are a key role in maintaining anxiety symptoms. Self-focus on somatic symptoms prompts fear of rejection if others notice these symptoms. Exercise is a powerful interoceptive exposure strategy because it has been seen to reduce anxiety sensitivity. The current investigation will examine the effects of exercise on the perception of heart rate among socially anxious individuals. Participants filled out an online questionnaire to determine social anxiety group eligibility. Participants were attached to ECG sensors that monitored their heart rate. A self-manipulation task was completed before and after an exercise or rest task to provoke attentional focus toward the heartbeat. Results indicate that high and low socially anxious individuals did not differ in heartbeat detection accuracy when completing an exercise or rest task, F(1,8)= 1.09, p= .33. These findings provide a basic understanding of how exercise may benefit perception of heart rate among socially anxious individuals.
