Polyvagal theory: A biobehavioral journey to sociality
Open accessAbstract
A polyvagal perspective clarifies the neurobiological and biobehavioral shifts that occurred during evolutionary transition from asocial reptiles to social mammals. This transition enabled mammals, unlike their reptilian ancestors, to derive a biological benefit from social interactions. This innovation enabled social behavior to function as a neuromodulator that could efficiently regulate and optimize autonomic function to support homeostatic processes. This journey is highlighted by the phylogenetic transition during which the autonomic nervous system was repurposed to suppress defensive strategies to support and express sociality. The product of this transition was an autonomic nervous system with capacities to self-calm, to spontaneous socially engage others, and to mitigate threat reactions in ourselves and others through social cues. Thus, social behavior became embedded with specific neurobiological processes that had capabilities to support homeostatic functions leading to optimized health, growth, and restoration. Polyvagal Theory emphasizes sociality as the core process in mitigating threat reactions and supporting mental and physical health.
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Porges did not specifically identify nursing, cooperative breeding, group warfare as critical to the proposed transition.
“Porges (Porges and Dana, 2018; Porges, 2021) did not specifically identify these as critical to the proposed transition.”
From The evolution of sociality and the polyvagal theory (2023) · cites this paper as Porges, 2021
The Concluding comments explicitly name nursing as a function unique to mammalian survival while describing the transition in neuroanatomy and function. The section on evolution also says offspring must nurse to survive and links the nursing circuit to sociality. The copy does not similarly identify cooperative breeding or group warfare, but its treatment of nursing contradicts the claim that Porges identified none of the three. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredTrauma is a chronic disruption of connectedness.
“Porges (2021) states that trauma is a chronic disruption of connectedness.”
From A theoretical exploration of polyvagal theory in creative arts and psychomotor therapies for emotion regulation in stress and trauma (2024) · cites this paper as Porges, 2021
In “The transdisciplinary origins of Polyvagal Theory” (page unavailable), Porges says that trauma is associated with the dissolution of social systems, supporting the connectedness aspect of the paraphrase. The passage does not characterize that disruption as chronic; the discussion of responses to threat also describes them as potentially reversible. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe biobehavioral consequences of ventral migration of cardioinhibitory neurons in the brainstem provide an organizing principle to understand that neural regulation of the ANS in humans is an enabler of sociality.
“As emphasized in Principle 4, the biobehavioral consequences of this ventral migration of cardioinhibitory neurons in the brainstem provides an organizing principle to understand that the neural regulation of the ANS in humans is an enabler of sociality [33,34].”
From The vagal paradox: A polyvagal solution (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
The sections ‘Polyvagal Theory: a testable solution of the vagal paradox’ and ‘Evolution repurposes the neural regulation of the autonomic nervous system to support sociality’ link the ventral cardio-inhibitory vagal pathway to a brainstem system that supports mammalian social engagement. The copy describes an evolutionary structural change and the emergence of a ventral pathway, but does not establish the specific claim that cardio-inhibitory neurons migrated ventrally. No page numbers are available in the indexed passages. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSocial behaviors such as connecting, cooperating and trusting select others are not restricted to parental care or to mammals.
“However, his list included 'connecting, cooperating and trusting select others' (Porges, 2021), all of which are social behaviors that are not restricted to parental care, or to mammals.”
From The evolution of sociality and the polyvagal theory (2023) · cites this paper as Porges, 2021
The vagus nerve influences heart rate and breathing, playing an important role in the regulation of emotions, stress, and social behavior.
“The vagus nerve influences heart rate and breathing, thus playing an important role in the regulation of emotions, stress, and social behavior (Porges, 2021).”
From A theoretical exploration of polyvagal theory in creative arts and psychomotor therapies for emotion regulation in stress and trauma (2024) · cites this paper as Porges, 2021
Porges (2021) himself critically reflects on the PVT and also provides the scientific foundation for the testing of hypotheses generated by PVT in a recent publication.
“Porges (2021) himself critically reflects on the PVT and also provides the scientific foundation for the testing of hypotheses generated by PVT in a recent publication (Porges, 2023).”
From A theoretical exploration of polyvagal theory in creative arts and psychomotor therapies for emotion regulation in stress and trauma (2024) · cites this paper as Porges (2021)
PVT hypothesizes that functionally liberating mobilization and immobilization from defensive threat-driven strategies supported the emergence of social behavior and cooperation in species of social mammals.
“It is this process of functionally liberating mobilization and immobilization from defensive threat driven strategies that PVT hypothesizes to have supported the emergence of social behavior and cooperation in species of social mammals [33,34].”
From The vagal paradox: A polyvagal solution (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
Polyvagal theory characterizes the myelinated vagus as the foundation for the social engagement system, facilitating the experience of safety outside of awareness (neuroception).
“This suggestion is supported by Porges” polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011, 2021), which characterizes the (myelinated) vagus as the foundation for the social engagement system, facilitating the experience of safety outside of awareness (neuroception).”
From The Complex Construct of Wellbeing and the Role of Vagal Function (2022) · cites this paper as Porges, 2021
According to polyvagal theory, the myelinated vagus in combination with other cranial nerves provides a vagal brake over the sympathetic nervous system and unmyelinated vagus, facilitating social engagement and interaction outside of awareness.
“According to polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011, 2021), the myelinated vagus in combination with other cranial nerves provides a “vagal brake” over the phylogenetically older sympathetic nervous system and unmyelinated vagus facilitating social engagement and interaction, and this process is outside of awareness.”
From The Complex Construct of Wellbeing and the Role of Vagal Function (2022) · cites this paper as Porges, 2021
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“According to polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011, 2021), the myelinated vagus in combination with other cranial nerves provides a “vagal brake” over the phylogenetically older sympathetic nervous system and unmyelinated vagus facilitating social engagement and interaction, and this process is outside of…”
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- Authors
- Porges, S. W.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Corresponding author
- Porges, Stephen W.
- ORCID
- Porges, Stephen W.
- Venue
- Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-08
- Volume
- 7
- Pages
- 100069
- ISSN
- 2666-4976 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9216697
- OpenAlex
- W3168745519
- Cited by
- 142
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 3
- FWCI
- 14.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- UNC Libraries
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- polyvagal theory, sociality, evolution of social behavior, autonomic nervous system, social engagement, self-regulation, homeostasis, physical and mental health
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