09/15/2025
Thanks to our friend Caramaya for this post.
Most people think the brain is the sole command center of the body, but science reveals a deeper truth: your heart is not just a pump, it is an intelligent organ that actively influences how you think and feel. In fact, the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart, shaping emotions, decision-making, and even perception.
This connection is made possible through the vagus nerve and the body’s intricate nervous system. The heart generates powerful rhythmic signals that travel upward, directly impacting brain regions linked to emotion and cognition. When your heartbeat is steady and coherent, it promotes calmness, clarity, and focus. When it becomes irregular or stressed, it can trigger anxiety, confusion, or irritability.
Researchers have also found that the heart produces its own neurotransmitters, including dopamine and oxytocin, chemicals usually associated with the brain. This means your heart is part of the conversation that regulates bonding, trust, and joy. It is not only reacting to your emotional state—it is helping create it.
This relationship explains why stress, anger, or grief can affect physical heart rhythms, and why practices like deep breathing, meditation, and gratitude can quickly shift both mood and heart health. When you calm your heart, you calm your brain. When you care for your heart, you strengthen your mind.
The traditional view that the brain is in charge and the heart simply follows is incomplete. The reality is more of a partnership, with the heart playing a central role in the flow of information that shapes who you are.
Your heart is more than a muscle keeping you alive—it is a guiding force influencing how you feel, think, and connect with the world around you. Learning to listen to it may be one of the most powerful ways to nurture both your emotional and mental health.