I have been using heart rate variability (HRV) software in my well-being programs for more than 10 years. People simply connect themselves to the software and watch how their HRV varies in real time depending on their emotional experience. Generally their HRV will decrease when they experience negative emotions and increase when they are in a neutral or positive emotional state. But the results aren’t always what people expect.

Barbara Fredrickson is responsible for important research that underpins positive psychology. A recent paper co-authored with graduate student Bethany Kok describes new research from her Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (PEPLab) concerning the relationship between positive emotions and the way the body functions.

I can count on it every year. Come New Years, I will receive numerous emails inquiring about mindfulness coaching and workshops. Obviously learning to meditate is a popular New Year’s resolution. 
The growing interest in …

Despite the research, very few people ever make a meditative practice part of their daily lives. The most commonly offered excuse is lack of time. I’d like to offer a solution to time constraints. You can combine a meditative practice with another powerful positive psychology intervention – exercise. At first glance you might think that I’m crazy. Surely you have to be in a quiet room to meditate – not a smelly noisy gym.

By Wayne Jencke

Compelling new research suggests that mindfulness might be a foundation skill of resilience. Researchers found that people who were taught a short program in mindfulness meditation were more able to reframe negative events in a positive light. Many people believe that mindfulness is difficult to learn and too time-consuming. But the good news is that by focusing on the science behind mindfulness you can quickly and easily develop a mindfulness practice that will have a profound impact on your life. [...]

There are numerous studies linking positive emotions to improved health outcomes. Several researchers are speculating that the pathway might be the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for managing homeostasis in the body. Homeostasis is a dynamic balance between the sympathetic nervouse system (SNS) and the parasympathetic (PNS). A useful analogy is that the SNS acts like the accelerator on your car and the PNS like the brakes.