Left cerebral hemisphere contributions to tachycardia: evidence and recommendations

Six topics were discussed in which research has shown a stimulus or activity to be independently related to increases in human heart rate and to left cerebral hemisphere functioning: lateralized touching, reasoning, pleasantness, talking, lateralized feedback, and resistance to persuasion. On the basis of this converging evidence, strategies were suggested for altering heart rate by use of the method of induced lateral orientation of attention as a means of selective hemisphere activation.