The Psychophysiology of Appreciation:
Implications for Organizational Contexts
based on research by
Carlo A. Pruneti, Ph.D.
Dept. of Clinical and Esperimental Medicine, University of
Parma, Italy
Rollin McCraty, Ph.D.
Institute of HeartMath, Boulder Creek, CA, USA
Dual Systems and Bi-directional Flow
Pictures from The Autonomic Nervous System, Hudler (1998)
Parasympathetic versus Sympathetic
Parasympathetic
"Rest & Digest"
Sympathetic
"Fight or Flight"
Decrease Heart Rate
Increase Heart Rate
Decrease Force of Contraction
Increase Force of Contraction
Decrease Blood Pressure
Increase Blood Pressure
Miosis (Pupil Constriction)
Mydriasis (Pupil Dilation)
Spasm of Accommodation
Paralysis of Accommodation
Bronchoconstriction
Bronchodilation
Increase Gut Activity
Decrease Gut Activity
Increase Secretions
Decrease Secretions
Vasoconstriction
Vasodilatation
No innervations to Sweat glands
Increase Sweating
Ascending Heart Signals
Amygdala:
Emotional Memory
Thalamus:
Synchronizes
cortical activity
Medulla: Blood
Inhibits cortical
function
Facilitates
cortical function
pressure and
ANS regulation
Heart Rhythms >>>
Pulse (Biophysical)
ECG (Electromagnetic)
© Copyright 2001 Institute of HeartMath
Atrial Peptide
Oxytocin
Dopamine
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Synchronized electrical activity (i.e.,
knowledge sharing) between the brain and
other body systems underlies our ability to
perceive, feel, focus, learn, reason and
perform at our best.
Stress is the disruption in the harmonious
synchronization of nervous system activity.
In Summary:
Emotions such as anger, frustration, or anxiety, lead to
erratic and disordered heart rhythms, indicating less
synchronization in the reciprocal action between the
parasympathetic and sympathetic branches of the
autonomic nervous system (ANS).
Positive emotions, such as appreciation, or care, are
associated with a highly ordered or coherent patterns in
the heart rhythm, reflecting greater synchronization
between the two branches of the ANS, and a shift in
autonomic balance toward increased parasympathetic
activity (McCraty, Atkinson, & Tiller, 1995; McCraty, Atkinson, Tiller, Rein, &
Watkins, 1995; Tiller, McCraty, & Atkinson, 1996).
Heart Rate Variability is:
A measure of neurocardiac function that
reflects heart-brain interactions and
autonomic nervous system dynamics.
McCraty & Singer, 2002
Heart Rate Variability
2
m Volts
1.5
1
70 BPM
76 BPM
83 BPM
.859 sec.
.793 sec.
.726 sec.
0.5
0
-0.5
0
1
2
2.5 seconds of heartbeat data
© Copyright 1997 Institute of HeartMath
Valves
Valves
*
*
*
*
Parasympathetic Nervous
System (PNS),
inhibits cardiac action
potentials
Sympathetic Nervous
System (SNS),
stimulates cardiac action
potentials
*
QRS complex
p wave
t wave
* Atrium
* Ventricle
* SA node
* AV node
* ECG Components
* P wave
* QRS complex
* T wave
* Sympathetic Nervous
System
*Parasympathetic
Nervous System
*Vagal
*APC or SVE
*Bigeminy
*VPCs
*VT
*VF
*
*
*
*
Decreased heart rate variability
Abnormal heart rate variability
Identify patients with autonomic abnormalities
who are at increased risk of arrhythmic
events.
*
*
Parasympathetic
Nervous system
Heart Rate
Cardiac output
Blood pressure
Renin angiotensin
system
Sympathetic
Nervous system
* Regolazione del Sistema Renina - Angiotensina
* Il complesso sistema rennina-angiotensina presiede alla regolazione della
pressione arteriosa, cioè della forza esercitata dal sangue sulle pareti delle
arterie, da cui dipende l'adeguata perfusione di sangue a tutti i distretti
corporei; tale pressione è influenzata, tra l'altro, dalla quantità di sangue che il
cuore spinge quando pompa, dalla sua forza di contrazione e dalle resistenze
che si oppongono al libero scorrere del torrente ematico. Ebbene, il sistema
renina-angiotensina agisce da un lato incrementando il volume del sangue
(attraverso lo stimolo su sintesi e rilascio di aldosterone dalla corteccia
surrenale), e dall'altro inducendo vasocostrizione.
* La vasocostrizione - vale a dire la diminuzione del lume dei vasi sanguigni -
indotta dal sistema renina-angiotensina, aumenta significativamente la
pressione arteriosa. Ci accorgiamo di questo fenomeno quando innaffiando l'orto
con un tubo di gomma ne riduciamo il calibro con le dita per aumentare la
distanza raggiunta dal getto d'acqua. Altrettanto intuitivo è il fatto che questo,
e con esso la pressione idrica, aumenta e diminuisce mano a mano che apriamo
o chiudiamo, rispettivamente, il rubinetto. Lo stesso effetto è indotto
dall'aldosterone, ormone sintetizzato dalla corteccia del surrene sotto lo stimolo
del sistema renina-angiotensina. L'aldosterone agisce infatti sulla parte distale
dei nefroni (unità funzionali del rene), dove determina una diminuzione
dell'escrezione di sodio e di acqua, ed un aumento dell'escrezione di potassio e
ioni idrogeno. La ritenzione di sodio e acqua da parte del rene aumenta il
volume plasmatico e la pressione arteriosa, proprio come nell'esempio
dell'acqua e del rubinetto.
*
*Fluctuations in HR (HRV) are mediated by
sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS)
inputs to the SA node.
*Rapid fluctuations in HR usually reflect PNS
control only (respiratory sinus arrhythmia).
*Slower fluctuations in HR reflect combined
SNS and PNS + other psychological and
emotional influences.
•“Rapid” fluctuations in HR are at >10 cycles/min
(respiratory frequencies)
•Vagal effect on HR mediated by acetylcholine
binding which has an immediate effect on SA
node.
•If HR patterns are normal, rapid fluctuations in
HR are vagally modulated
*
*
The Acetylcholine Neurotransmitter binds to a
receptor on a muscle once released from a
neuron.
* “Slower” fluctuations in HR are <10 cycles per
min.
* SNS effect on HR is mediated by
norepinephrine release which has a delayed
effect on SA node
* Both SNS and vagal nerve traffic fluctuate at
>10 cycles/min, but the time constant for
changes in SNS tone to affect HR is too long to
affect HR at normal breathing frequencies.
*
Sympathetic activation takes too long to affect RSA
NE blinds to the beta-receptor (Alpha subunit of G-protein).
After binding, G protein links to second messenger (adenyl cyclase) which
converts ATP to cAMP. cAMP activates protein kinase A which breaks
ATP to ADP+phosphate which phosphorylates the pacemaker channels
and increases HR
Approach 1
*
Physiologist’s Paradigm
HR data collected over short period of
time (~5-20 min), with or without
interventions, under carefully controlled
laboratory conditions.
*
HRV Perspectives
Longer-term HRV-quantifies changes in HR
over periods of >5min.
Intermediate-term HRV-quantifies changes in
HR over periods of <5 min.
Short-term HRV-quantifies changes in HR
from one beat to the next
Ratio HRV-quantifies relationship between
two HRV indices.
*
*Extrinsic
* Motor Activity
* Mental Stress
* Physical Stress
*Intrinsic Periodic Rhythms
* Respiratory sinus arrhythmia
* Baroreceptor reflex regulation
* Thermoregulation
* Neuroendocrine secretion
* Circadian rhythms
* Other, unknown rhythms
Ways to Quantify HRV
Approach 1: How much variability is there?
Time Domain and Geometric Analyses
Approach 2: What are the underlying
rhythms? What physiologic process do they
represent? How much power does each
underlying rhythm have?
Frequency Domain Analysis
Approach 3: How much complexity or selfsimilarity is there?
Non-Linear Analyses
Time Domain HRV
Longer-term HRV
• SDNN-Standard deviation of N-N
intervals in msec (Total HRV)
• SDANN-Standard deviation of mean
values of N-Ns for each 5 minute
interval in msec (Reflects circadian,
neuroendocrine and other rhythms +
sustained activity)
Time Domain HRV
Intermediate-term HRV
• SDNNIDX-Average of standard
deviations of N-Ns for each 5 min
interval in ms (Combined SNS and PNS
HRV)
• Coefficient of variance (CV)SDNNIDX/AVNN. Heart rate normalized
SDNNIDX.
Time Domain HRV
Short-term HRV
•
rMSSD-Root mean square of
successive differences of N-N intervals in ms
• pNN50-Percent of successive N-N
differences >50 ms
Calculated from differences between
successive N-N intervals
Reflect PNS influence on HR
Geometric HRV
HRV Index-Measure of longer-term HRV
From Farrell et al, J am Coll Cardiol 1991;18:687-97
Examples of Normal and Abnormal
Geometric HRV
* Based on autoregressive techniques or fast
Fourier transform (FFT).
* Partitions the total variance in heart rate into
underlying rhythms that occur at different
frequencies.
* These frequencies can be associated with
different intrinsic, autonomically-modulated
periodic rhythms.
*
What are the Underlying Rhythms?
One rhythm
5 seconds/cycle or
12 times/min
5 seconds/cycle=
1/5 cycle/second
1/5 cycle/second=
0.2 Hz
What are the Underlying Rhythms?
Three Different Rhythms
High Frequency = 0.25 Hz (15
cycles/min
Low Frequency = 0.1 Hz (6
cycles/min)
Very Low Frequency = 0.016 Hz
(1 cycle/min)
* Only normal-to-normal (NN) intervals included
* At least one normal beat before and one
normal beat after each ectopic beat is
excluded
* Cannot reliably compute HRV with >20%
ectopic beats
* With the exception of ULF, HRV in a 24-hour
recording is calculated on shorter segments (5
min) and averaged.
*
Frequency Domain HRV
Longer-Term HRV
• Total Power (TP)
Sum of all frequency domain components.
• Ultra low frequency power (ULF)
At >every 5 min to once in 24 hours.
Reflects circadian, neuroendocrine,
sustained activity of subject, and other
unknown rhythms.
Frequency Domain HRV
Intermediate-term HRV
• Very low frequency power (VLF)
At ~20 sec-5 min frequency
Reflects activity of renin-angiotensin
system, vagal activity, activity of subject.
Exaggerated by sleep apnea. Abolished
by atropine
• Low frequency power (LF)
At 3-9 cycles/min Baroreceptor influences
on HR, mediated by SNS and vagal
influences. Abolished by atropine.
Frequency Domain HRV
Short-term HRV
• High frequency power (HF)
At respiratory frequencies
(9-24 cycles/minute, respiratory sinus
arrhythmia but may also include nonrespiratory sinus arrhythmia). Normally
abolished by atropine.
Vagal influences on HR with normal
patterns.
HEART RATE
HEART RATE
Emotions Reflected in Heart Rhythm Patterns
FRUSTRATION
90
80
70
60
APPRECIATION
90
80
70
60
1
50
© Copyright 1997 Institute of HeartMath
100
150
TIME (SECONDS)
200
Increased Heart Rhythm Coherence
Improves Cognitive Performance
Auditory Discrimination Task Mean Reaction Times
Mean Reaction Times (msec.)
37
*
0.4
The Power to Change Performance
The Freeze-Frame Tool: Positive emotion refocusing technique
The Heart Lock-In Tool: Emotional Restructuring Technique
Coherent Communication: Increases Team coherence
Boosting Organizational Climate: What it is and specific ways to
improve it.
The Freeze Framer: Heart rhythm feedback that reflects nervous
system dynamics.
Cortex
Sub cortical Areas
Medulla
SYMPATHETIC
Hormones
Blood Pressure
Etc.
PARASYMPATHETIC
Embodied and Distributed
Knowledge Systems
Skin
Arteries
Lungs
Etc.