Slow-paced breathing

1. Slow-paced breathing decreases emotional reactivity in humans.

   “SPB reduced overall emotional intensity and tended to dampen perceived negativity”

   Human trialregardless of age

   Breathing slower is not always better: Slow-paced breathing enhances heart rate variability but produces age-differential effects on emotional reactivity and memory

   International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology·21 May 2026

1. Slow-paced breathing increases heart rate variability in humans.

   “Both breathing conditions produced robust increases in task-related HRV, with no reliable difference between SPB and NPB”

   Human trialduring memory encoding

   Breathing slower is not always better: Slow-paced breathing enhances heart rate variability but produces age-differential effects on emotional reactivity and memory

   International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology·21 May 2026

More on Heart rate variability

1. Slow-paced breathing has no effect on functional performance in humans.

   “middle-aged women who practiced or not the SPB demonstrated similar functional outcomes”

   Human trialhome-based12 weeksfemalesn = 26

   Effects of home-based slow-paced breathing on functional performance in middle-aged women: A randomized controlled trial study

   Experimental gerontology·30 Jul 2025