Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Muted neural response to distress among securely attached people
Kyle Nash1, Mike Prentice2, Jacob Hirsh2
1Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-2500, USA, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E6, Canada, and Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada kyle.nash@unibas.ch.
Abstract:
Neural processes that support individual differences in attachment security and affect regulation are currently unclear. Using electroencephalography, we examined whether securely attached individuals, compared with insecure individuals, would show a muted neural response to experimentally manipulated distress. Participants completed a reaction time task that elicits error commission and the error-related negativity (ERN)-a neural signal sensitive to error-related distress-both before and after a distressing insecurity threat. Despite similar pre-threat levels, secure participants showed a stable ERN, whereas insecure participants showed a post-threat increase in ERN amplitude. These results suggest a neural mechanism that allows securely attached people to regulate distress.
Related Concept Videos
Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Attachment Styles
Attachment
Psychological Responses to Stress
Horney's Sociocultural Approach

