…when neuroscientist Agustin Ibanez met Carlos, he suspected even odder effects were to come. By changing the man’s heart, Ibanez thought, the doctors might have also changed their patient’s mind: Carlos would now think, feel and act differently as a result of the implant.
How come? We often talk about “following the heart”, but it is only recently that scientists have begun to show that there is literal truth in the cliche; the heaving lump of muscle contributes to our emotions and the mysterious feelings of “intuition” in a very real way. Everything from your empathy for another person’s pain to the hunch that your spouse is having an affair may originate from subtle signals in your heart and the rest of your body.
…So the folklore may be right: people who are in touch with their heart are more likely to be swayed by their instincts – for good or bad.
Source: The mind-bending effects of feeling two hearts
This is dis-heart-ening news. It’s an extremely interesting read, but I can’t help but feel a little more self-conscious about reaching for the heart rate monitor… 😉
I’m surprised at the mindfulness based therapy, but no mention of yoga? Granted, there’s a huge spectrum of yoga classes, even within a particular style dependent on the instructor.