The Futures Foundation

" We are asking questions such as: Why do people experience the feeling or sensation of love and other positive emotional states in the area of the heart and what are the physiological ramifications of these emotions?" says the Institute. "How do stress and different emotional states affect the autonomic nervous system, hormonal and immune systems, the heart and brain?

"It became clear that negative emotions lead to increased disorder in the heart's rhythms and in the autonomic nervous system, thereby adversely affecting the rest of the body. In contrast, positive emotions create increased harmony and coherence in heart rhythms and improve balance in the nervous system.

"The health implications are easy to understand: disharmony in the nervous system leads to inefficiency and increased stress on the heart and other organs while harmonious rhythms are more efficient and less stressful to the body's systems. "More intriguing are the dramatic positive changes that occur when techniques are applied that increase coherence in rhythmic patterns of heart rate variability. These include shifts in perception and the ability to reduce stress and deal more effectively with difficult situations.

" We observed that the heart was acting as though it had a mind of its own and was profoundly influencing the way we perceive and respond to the world. In essence, it appeared that the heart was affecting intelligence and awareness."

The research shows that the heart is indeed far more than a simple pump. It is a highly complex, self-organized information processing centre with its own functional 'brain' that communicates with and influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways.

"These influences profoundly affect brain function and most of the body's major organs, and ultimately determine the quality of life," says the Institute.