A Meta-synthesis on the Effects of Combining Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback and Positive Emotion on Workplace Performance

Abstract

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) can be used to measure vagal tone which provides insight into the flexibility of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). A flexible ANS is optimal for both physical and psychological well-being. This study is a meta-synthesis of research to-date, using a systematic review methodology, on self-regulation interventions in the workplace that are based on a combination of HRV bio-feedback and the self-generation of positive emotion. The effects of these workplace self-regulation interventions are physiological, psychological and organisational. At the physiological level they can have a beneficial impact on the following factors: blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, DHEA, cortisol and HRV. At a psychological level they decrease negative affect and increase positive affect. They impacted organisational performance through improvement in: organizational quality, cognitive performance, ability to manage stressful transitions and reduced costs.

Evaluating the Effects of the Autonomic Nervous System and Sympathetic Activity on Emotional States

“…As the primary output of the research is; the use of the correlation between HRV and respiration in emotion recognition applications is promising. In the study Barrett & Popovi (2015) investigating the effect of positive emotions on workplace performance, it was aimed to reveal the changes on the autonomic nervous system with HRV. This survey paper focused on the reflection of psychological level changes on emotions.…”

Determining the Right Levels of Health Coaching and Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback in a Workplace Behavior Change Intervention: Multiphase Optimization Strategy Preparation Study

“…HRV-BF has been shown to be effective across different settings for improving HRV and other psychological and physiological outcomes [ 45 , 46 ]. HRV-BF has been shown to be effective in the workplace [ 47 , 48 ] and may help promote self-awareness and allow individuals to better regulate their psychological and physiological states [ 49 ]. HRV-BF may be a beneficial tool alongside behavioral intervention components to promote awareness and self-regulation.…”