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

This monograph is an overview of the HeartMath Institute’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 HeartMath Institute’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^® and Heart Lock-In^®, 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.