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The relationship between self-esteem (SE), type of stressor, and fluctuations
 in heart rate was assessed in a sample of 59 college students (40 females, 19
 males; with a mean age of 23.98 years (SEM = 1.0)). SE was measured
 using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The study assessed whether SE
 buffers the cardiovascular response to stress by comparing responses to two
 types of stressor: mental arithmetic and verbal memory. As predicted, an
 SE x stressor interaction was found (p = 0.039). High-SE participants found
 both stressors moderately stressful but low-SE participants found the mental
 arithmetic task particularly stressful. This is consistent with the view that
 mental arithmetic elicits a specific fear that exceeds that associated with
 other domains of performance. The present study suggests that such fear
 affects low-SE participants more strongly than high-SE participants. The
 interaction was statistically independent of potential physiological
 contaminants such as gender, age, smoking, and caffeine consumption.