Slow Breathing Can Change Your Decisions

Topic: Health

Researchers found that slowing down your breathing can make you more likely to take risks and make bolder decisions. They studied 41 healthy participants who made choices while following different breathing patterns. The results showed that longer exhalations increased heart rate variability and made the brain more responsive to rewards.

A new study suggests that changing the rhythm of your breathing can influence how you make decisions. Researchers from Germany's German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin found that longer exhalations increased heart rate variability and made the brain more responsive to rewards, which was associated with bolder choices.

The study involved 41 healthy participants who made risky choices under carefully controlled breathing conditions. Participants followed visual breathing instructions and either breathed at their normal individual pace or slowed their breathing while extending the exhalation phase (2:8 inhale-exhale ratio). The researchers measured several aspects of their physical and neurological responses, including brain activity, heart rate, skin conductance, and pupil responses.

The results showed that extended exhalation slowed heart rate and was associated with riskier choices. Importantly, the change appeared to come from greater attention to possible rewards rather than reduced concern about potential losses. The researchers also detected stronger activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus, brain regions involved in reward processing and regulating heartbeats.

Why It Matters

This study can help us understand how our body and mind work together to make decisions. It can also lead to new breathing techniques that can improve decision-making and reduce stress.

Key Facts

• The study was led by Prof. Soyoung Q Park from Germany's German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
• 41 healthy participants made risky choices under carefully controlled breathing conditions.
• Longer exhalations increased heart rate variability and made the brain more responsive to rewards.
• The study was published in the journal Neuron in May 2026.

Key Terms

Heart Rate Variability

The variation in time between each heartbeat, which can be affected by breathing patterns.

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

A brain region involved in reward processing and regulating heartbeats.

Implications

This study can help us understand how our body and mind work together to make decisions. It can also lead to new breathing techniques that can improve decision-making and reduce stress.