Slower breathing improved image memory only in younger adults
Among 82 younger and 84 older adults, breathing at 6 rather than 12 breaths per minute improved image recognition only in the younger group.
Limit: Memory was assessed with image recognition, not everyday memory
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an experiment, 82 younger and 84 older adults breathed at either 6 or 12 breaths per minute while viewing negative and neutral images. They then took an image-recognition test.
Both breathing rates increased heart rate variability—the variation in time between heartbeats—during the task. The researchers found no reliable difference between rates, and effects were comparable across age groups. Slower breathing reduced overall emotional intensity in both age groups. It also reduced mistaken recognition and improved the ability to distinguish previously seen images from new ones in younger adults. Older adults performed similarly under both conditions. Across age groups, slower breathing reduced false recollections of new images while preserving recollection of previously seen images.
Why it matters
For a breathing strategy commonly used to regulate emotion, the study addressed whether memory benefits extend to older adults.
Caveats
The experiment assessed recognition of images, not everyday memory. The abstract does not report participants’ age ranges or whether assignment to breathing conditions was randomized.
The paper
University of Geneva
International Journal of Psychophysiology, May 21, 2026, Open access
