449 research outputs found

    The Appreciative Heart: The Psychophysiology of Positive Emotions and Optimal Functioning

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    This monograph is an overview of Institute of HeartMath's research on the physiological correlates of positive emotions and the science underlying two core HeartMath techniques which supports Heart-Based Living. The heart's connection with love and other positive emotions has survived throughout millennia and across many diverse cultures. New empirical research is providing scientific validation for this age-old association. This 21-page monograph offers a comprehensive understanding of the Institute of HeartMath's cutting-edge research exploring the heart's central role in emotional experience. Described in detail is physiological coherence, a distinct mode of physiological functioning, which is generated during sustained positive emotions and linked with beneficial health and performance-related outcomes. The monograph also provides steps and applications of two HeartMath techniques, Freeze-Frame(R) and Heart Lock-In(R), which engage the heart to help transform stress and produce sustained states of coherence. Data from outcome studies are presented, which suggest that these techniques facilitate a beneficial repatterning process at the mental, emotional and physiological levels

    Impact of a Workplace Stress Reduction Program on Blood Pressure and Emotional Health in Hypertensive Employees

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    This study examined the impact of a workplace-based stress management program on blood pressure (BP), emotional health, and workplace-related measures in hypertensive employees of a global information technology company

    Impact of the HeartMath Self-Management Skills Program on Physiological and Psychological Stress in Police Officers

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    This study explored the impact on a group of police officers from Santa Clara County, California of the HeartMath stress and emotional self-management training, which provides practical techniques designed to reduce stress in the moment, improve physiological and emotional balance, increase mental clarity and enhance performance and quality of life.This study provides evidence that practical stress and emotional self-management techniques can reduce damaging physiological and psychological responses to both acute and chronic stress in police, and positively impact a variety of major life areas in a relatively short period of time. In particular, results show that application of these interventions can produce notable improvements in communication difficulties at work and in strained family relationships, two areas that are well recognized to be major sources of stress for police

    Time Series Analysis using Embedding Dimension on Heart Rate Variability

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    Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the measurement sequence with one or more visible variables of an underlying dynamic system, whose state changes with time. In practice, it is difficult to know what variables determine the actual dynamic system. In this research, Embedding Dimension (ED) is used to find out the nature of the underlying dynamical system. False Nearest Neighbour (FNN) method of estimating ED has been adapted for analysing and predicting variables responsible for HRV time series. It shows that the ED can provide the evidence of dynamic variables which contribute to the HRV time series. Also, the embedding of the HRV time series into a four-dimensional space produced the smallest number of FNN. This result strongly suggests that the Autonomic Nervous System that drives the heart is a two features dynamic system: sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

    NEW ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES ASSOCIATED WITH INTENTIONAL HEART FOCUS

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    This work utilizes the measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) as a vehicle to show that continued practice of certain specific techniques involving an intentional shift of focus to the area of the heart, and invoking specific feeling states such as "love" and "appreciation," automatically manifests in increased autonomic nervous system balance. In particular, (1) enhanced balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system, (2) a shift of the high frequency and low frequency portions of the HRV power spectra to around 0.1 Hz range, (3) entrainment and frequency locking of multiple body oscillators (HRV, pulse transit time and respiration), (4) a shift in frequency of all the body's entrained systems, around O.IHz frequency, associated with a change in focus of the subject to a different heart feeling state, and (5) the intentional generation of a newly defined internal coherence state (near zero HRV), have all been achieved. These are electrophysiological correlates of certain mental and emotional states occupied by the individual. Three individual subjects plus a group study of twenty subjects are reported on and discussed. From these results, one sees that individuals can intentionally affect their autonomic nervous system balance, and thus, their HRV

    The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Compassion and Anger

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    Salivary IgA, heart rate and mood were measured in thirty individuals before and after experiencing care or anger. Two methods of inducing the emotional states were compared: self-induction and external induction via video tapes. Anger produced a significant increase in total mood disturbance and heart rate, but not in S-IgA levels. Positive emotions, on the other hand, produced a significant increase in S-IgA levels. Examining the effects over a six hour period we observed that anger, in contrast to care, produced a significant inhibition of S-IgA from one to five hours after the emotional experience. Results indicate that self-induction of positive emotional states is more effective at stimulating S-IgA levels than previously used external methods. Self-induction techniques may therefore be useful in minimizing the immunosuppressive effects of negative emotions

    Music Enhances the Effect of Positive Emotional States on Salivary IgA

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    This study examines the effects of music and positive emotional states on autonomic and immune function in normal, healthy individuals. Autonomic activity was assessed using power spectral density analysis of heart rate variability, and salivary IgA was used as a marker of immunity. The effects of Rock, New Age, and Designer Music were examined alone, and in conjunction with a self-induced positive emotional state. The results indicate that only the Designer Music and the self-induced state of appreciation produced a significant increase in autonomic activity and salivary IgA (S-IgA). In addition, the combination of the Designer Music and the self-induced appreciation produced a much greater immunoenhancement than either of these two conditions alone. We conclude that music can be designed to enhance the beneficial effects of positive emotional states on immunity, and that this effect may be mediated by the autonomic nervous system. These data raise the tantalizing possibility that music and emotional self-management may have significant health benefits in a variety of clinical situations in which there is immunosuppression and autonomic imbalance

    Investigation of 5-Year Interconnections between Local Earth Magnetic Field Fluctuations and Acute Myocardial Infarction in Lithuania

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    The impact of the local Earth magnetic field (LEMF) on cardiovascular events has been studied recently. Data gathered during past years encouraged us to conduct this epidemiological analysis evaluating the association between changes in LEMF and hospital admissions due to AMI in Lithuania between August 2014 and September 2019. This study is unique due to its coverage of all Lithuanian patients. The frequency of morbidity of AMI was compared with the intensity of the LEMF and correlation coefficient was evaluated. The LEMF was measured by the Global Coherence Monitoring Network magnetometer located in Lithuania. LEMF was measured by pikotesla square (pT²). The LEMF was analized in five frequency ranges [Hz], generally called between Schumann resonance, which overlap with the human brain activity waves on electroencefalogram (EEG) frequency ranges (here, they are named as SDelta (0-3.5Hz), STheta (3.5-7Hz), SAlpha (7-15Hz), SBeta (15-32Hz) and SGamma (32-65Hz) to distinguish from the EEG bands). Significant correlations between weekly admissions of AMI cases and the weekly LEMF strength in five frequency ranges and in total range was found. A clear negative correlation was observed between cases of AMI in female group and LEMF frequency ranges SDelta (0-3.5Hz), STheta (3.5-7Hz), SAlpha (7-15Hz), SBeta (15-32Hz) and in total range. In the second half of the year the number of AMI is lower, therefore negative correlations between SDelta (0-3.5Hz), STheta (3.5-7Hz), SAlpha (7-15Hz) and SBeta (15-32Hz) ranges are stronger than in the first one. This is particularly noticeable in 2016 and 2018 years

    Reducing Test Anxiety and Improving Test Performance in American's Schools: Summary of Results From The TestEdge National Demonstration Study Executive Summary

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    This Executive Summary provides an overview of the purpose, research methods, and major findings of the TestEdge National Demonstration Study, conducted by researchers at the Institute of HeartMath in collaboration with faculty and graduate students at Claremont Graduate University. The study's primary purpose was to investigate the efficacy of the TestEdge program in reducing stress and test anxiety and improving emotional well-being, quality of relationships, and academic performance in public school students

    Reducing Test Anxiety and Improving Test Performance in American's Schools: Summary of Results From The TestEdge National Demonstration Study

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    This study determined the correlates and consequences of stress and test anxiety in a large sample of students (980) and investigated the effects of HeartMath tools among 636 of them who were part of an experimental group compared to the other 344 who were in a control group. Teachers received instruction in the Resilient Educator(R), which is designed to boost teacher performance, strengthen resiliency and improve school relationships, and students participated in the TestEdge(R) program, which features tools for reducing stress and test anxiety, improving academic performance and enhancing emotional and relational competence.The study tested two major hypotheses:Enhanced competence in emotional management through learning and practicing the TestEdge tools would result in significant improvements in student emotional self-regulation and psychophysiological coherence. These changes would produce a marked reduction in test anxiety and generate a corresponding improvement in academic and test performance.There would be associated improvements in stress management, emotional stability, and overall student well-being, as well as improvements in classroom climate, organization and function.We found consistent evidence of positive effects from the intervention on the students at the intervention school when their stress levels, emotional stability and the results of other measures were compared with those of students at the control school. Students in the experimental group had acquired the ability to self-activate the coherent state prior to taking an important test. This ability to self-activate coherence was associated with significant reductions in test anxiety and corresponding improvements in measures of emotional disposition
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