Slow breathing impacts inter-organ dynamics modulating brain function and risk behavior.

Slow exhalation increases risky decision-making by 20% through enhanced reward sensitivity and parasympathetic activity in humans.

• Why it matters: Understanding how intentional autonomic regulation influences decision-making can lead to new strategies for managing risk-related behaviors and mental health conditions.
• What they did: The study involved 50 participants following specific breathing protocols while undergoing fMRI and physiological monitoring to assess neural and cardiac responses during risky choices.
• The result: Prolonged exhalation boosted reward-related brain activity and cardiac parasympathetic tone, enabling greater reward sensitivity and highlighting breathing as a tool to modulate decision-making via neuro-cardiac pathways.