Cardiovascular Reactivity Theory Personal Statement

During my undergraduate degree, I became fascinated by cardiovascular reactivity; the idea that physiological reactions of differing magnitudes to acute stress of can lead to vastly different health and behavioural outcomes particularly intrigued me. It was my psychology and psychophysiology modules which first aroused this interest and completing cardiovascular reactivity-based essays further enhanced this passion.
Alongside developing my understanding of the theoretical foundations that underpin cardiovascular reactivity, I also started to focus on the research that could be conducted in the area. This directly contributed to my choice of my undergraduate dissertation topic: Childhood adversity as a potential origin of cardiovascular reactivity magnitude. This was my first experience as a "researcher" and instantaneously confirmed my pursuit of a research career. I enjoyed being in the laboratory, interacting with participants, reading around the topic, presenting my work and trying to

A PhD at Birmingham would allow me to advance my research with the support from world-renowned experts in stress and health such as Professor Anna Whittaker, who is currently rewriting the “reactivity hypothesis” which underpins my entire proposed project. However, it is not just the psychophysiological research which attracted me, but the world-class research conducted by the whole of the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences; the great diversity will allow for an insight from experts in other fields, such human physiology, neuroscience, and mixed methods research, which would benefit my interdisciplinary research. Thus, the University of Birmingham is an excellent choice for my