Prolonged exhalation increases reward sensitivity and heart rate variability, leading to bolder decisions through measurable changes in brain activity.
Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin demonstrated, for the first time, that conscious control Breathing patterns can influence decision-making by affecting both cardiac and brain activity.
Led by Soyoung Q Parkthe team concluded that prolonging the expiration phase increases heart rate variability and strengthens the brain’s response to rewards, making people more likely to choose bolder options.
The conclusions were presented in an article recently published in the journal Neuron.
A rapid breathing and heart rate elevated are often associated with quick decisions.
In these situations, people may become more cautious in an attempt to avoid losses — whether by make a financial decision under pressurewhen managing an important conversation at work or quickly deciding what to eat.
One slower breathing and a calmer cardiovascular state, on the contrary, can favor a more positive assessment of possible outcomes and greater willingness to take risks.
Although decision making is traditionally seen as a process that born in the brainthis study looked at how signals coming from different parts of the body can shape brain activity and influence choices.
“Our decisions are rarely determined only for external information. On the contrary, our judgment results from the interaction between cognitive processes and our body state at that moment”, said Soyoung Q Park, head of the Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition at DIfE.
“Until now, it was not known how the conscious regulation of the bodyfor example through guided breathing, could actively control our decision-making process”, she adds, cited by .
“We wanted to create a physiological changeusing a slow breathing pattern, to change the quality of our decisions“, details the researcher.
Testing slow breathing in risky decisions
The study involved 41 healthy volunteers who performed risk-based decision tasks while following specific respiratory instructions in an advanced research environment.
Participants breathed at their normal rate or followed a slower pattern, with prolonged exhalation, in a relationship inhalation-exhalation of 2:8. In both conditions, there were invited to make a series of decisions that involved risk.
At the same time, the researchers measured brain activity using functional MRI and also tracked breathing, heart function, skin conductance and pupil response.
A combination of these data allowed the team to determine whether longer exhalations not only reduced heart rate but also directly influenced reward processing in the brain.
The results showed that prolonged expiration increased the probability of riskier choicesby slowing the heart rate. The participants became more sensitive to potential rewardss, while its sensitivity to possible losses has not changed.
The researchers also observed increased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and precuneus.
These brain regions are involved inthe regulation of variability heart rate, which reflects changes in the interval between heartbeats, and sensitivity to rewards.
“Our study thus highlights the transformative role of breathing-based interventions. The interaction between breathing and cardiac dynamics makes the brain more receptive to rewards,” said the paper’s lead author, Wenhao Huang.
The findings add to growing evidence about body-brain interactions and support neurovisceral modelsaccording to which physical states can significantly shape cognitive function.
“Respiratory techniques have been with humanity for millenniain various religions and cultures. With this study, we provide scientific proof that this is a reliable and targeted method, capable of controlling our decisions,” said Park.
How breathing exercises are simple, cheap and easy to learncan offer a practical tool for self-regulation in everyday life.
They may also have clinical value as a non-pharmacological approach to conditions such as anxiety and depression, often associated with disturbances in autonomic regulation and reward processing.
“As eating decisions are strongly influenced by reward evaluation and physical state, targeted respiratory regulation could also play a role in conscious awareness and more effective management of eating behavior,” concluded Park.
