The American Journal of Cardiology, Harvard Business Review and Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The research supporting our offerings is focused on psychophysiology, neurocardiology and biophysics research, as well as clinical, workplace and organizational intervention and treatment outcome studies. Many of these studies have been done in collaboration with universities, research centers and healthcare system partners. This research has significantly advanced the understanding of heart-brain interactions, heart-rate-variability analysis, emotional physiology and the physiology of optimal learning and performance and provides the foundation of the HeartMath System.
Areas of HeartMath Institute Research/Studies
Emotional Physiology: Heart–Brain Interactions: Workplace Studies: Treatment Outcome studies in Clinical Populations: Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) and Autonomic Function: Emotional Energetics: Educational Studies:
Emotional Physiology:
A key area of focus of HeartMath Institute Research Center is exploring our emotions and how they affect our physiology, with an emphasis on the physiological effects of positive emotions.
Heart–Brain Interactions:
The heart and brain maintain a continuous two-way dialogue, each influencing the other’s functioning. The signals the heart sends to the brain can influence perception, emotional processing and higher cognitive functions. This system and circuitry is viewed by neurocardiology researchers as a “heart brain.”
Workplace Studies:
Studies investigating the impact of HeartMath programs in the workplace have documented a wide range of organizationally relevant outcomes, including increases in productivity, goal clarity, job satisfaction, communication effectiveness, improvement in employee health and reductions in turnover. Studies also have examined the programs’ effect in helping organizations meet the demands of challenges such as downsizing and restructuring.
Treatment Outcome studies in Clinical Populations:
Treatment outcome studies assess how HeartMath’s positive emotion-focused tools and techniques help people with various health problems and they have demonstrated significant improvements in health, psychological well-being and quality of life in people with hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, AIDS and more. Substantial improvements also have been noted in case history data from patients and healthcare professionals who’ve utilized HeartMath interventions for chronic conditions such as cardiac arrhythmia, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, environmental sensitivity, chronic pain and fibromyalgia.
Heart-Rate Variability and Autonomic Function:
HeartMath Institute conducts ongoing research into heart-rate variability (HRV), a measure of the naturally occurring beat-to-beat changes in heart rate. HRV analysis is a powerful, noninvasive measure of autonomic nervous-system function and an indicator of neurocardiac fitness. HeartMath Institute has published research demonstrating how HRV varies with age and gender and on the use of HRV analyses to assess alterations in autonomic function in conditions such as panic disorder and chronic fatigue.
Emotional Energetics Research:
The heart produces by far the body’s most powerful rhythmic electromagnetic field, which can be detected several feet away by sensitive instruments. Research shows our heart’s field changes distinctly as we experience different emotions. It is registered in people’s brains around us and apparently is capable of affecting cells, water and DNA studied in vitro. Growing evidence also suggests energetic interactions involving the heart may underlie intuition and important aspects of human consciousness.
Educational Studies:
HeartMath Institue’s educational studies examine the effects of HeartMath programs in educational settings. HeartMath tools, techniques, technology and learning programs levels have reduced general psychological distress, test anxiety and risky behaviors and improved test scores, classroom behavior, stress resiliency, learning and overall academic performance at the elementary, middle school, high school and college levels Publications. See all HeartMath Institute Research
