Breath timing reshapes how we read faces

Deliberately slowing or pacing breathing alters how accurately people recognize emotions in faces: slow exhale reduces accuracy while slow inhale can enhance perceptual sensitivity. MEG data suggest the breathing rhythm can desynchronize brain waves from respiration, changing communication between networks that interpret fearful versus neutral expressions. The study used paced breathing with 31 participants and blended facial images, and notes caveats like fixed breathing rates and other physiological factors. Published in European Journal of Neuroscience by Shen-Mou Hsu and Chih-Hsin Tseng.