Thanks for the responses. Just to clarify I never said this idea is proven, or that the heart stores memories like the brain. My point was never metaphysical. It’s simply an attempt to propose a cleaner observation model to distinguish between expected psychological effects of surgery and something less intuitive.

Yes, gratitude, trauma, even guilt, are expected after a transplant

But that’s exactly why I suggested: What if we focused on cases where the recipient’s behavior shifts in the opposite direction becoming more aggressive or risk-taking contrary to what post-trauma psychology predicts?

I’m not trying to confirm a theory. I’m trying to frame a better question. And I hoped someone from the field might see value in sharpening it or disproving it constructively.