Lessons from the heart: revisiting the psychocardiological theories of Aristotle in the 21 st. century

Abstract

The aim: To provide an overview of the psychocardiological theories of Aristotle and discuss their implications in contemporary research and clinical practice Materials and methods: Specific keywords (brain, heart, cardiology, psychiatry, psychocardiology, Aristotle, cardiocentric) were subjected to list down and analyze the literature in PubMed and Google Scholar. All types of articles, including original research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, along with gray literature dating back to 1950. We excluded studies reporting a significant conflict of interest and findings dispersed through popular media instead of peer-reviewed journals. Out of all articles, as per inclusion criteria and readings, we selected 26 for further analysis and narrative to build. Conclusions: Although this knowledge is currently outdated, revisiting his findings and methods is a source of lessons and inspirations for modern researchers and practitioners.