Rhythm of Breathing Affects Memory and Fear
Article Citation
and Link:
Northwestern University. “Rhythm of
Breathing Affects Memory and Fear.”
NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 6 December 2016.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/memory-fear-breathing-5699/>.
Krystal Topper
NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 6 December 2016.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/memory-fear-breathing-5699/>.
Krystal Topper
February 2, 2017
PSYC 465 8AM
Rhythm
of Breathing Affect Memory and Fear: Summary
As
the title of the article suggests, a recent study has been conducted in order
to understand how breathing affects memory and emotions; specifically fear. At
Northwestern University, scientists performed a study with participants that
had to identify either a fearful face or a surprised face quickly. Also, they
were tested on how well they remembered an image that was briefly shown on a
computer screen, and later asked to recall the image.
This
study is unique from other studies that focus on cognitive application for
emotion and memory. The researchers analyzed the rhythm of breathing for each
participant to see how this may affect both memory and emotion. It was found
during this study that people whom inhaled could quickly identify a fearful
face compared to exhaling. Also, the same participants were shown pictures of
objects and were later asked to recall those pictures. The data suggest that
recall was better if the images were encountered when the participant was
inhaling. The effect of this disappeared when the participants breathed through
their mouth, rather than their nose. By studying brain activity, the
researchers could identify that the amygdala and hippocampus were dramatically
stimulated and neurons to these specific areas and olfactory cortex were
present.
Response:
Understanding how the body works in correlation to our brain is exactly what our class objective is. This study is a great example of scientists trying to relate to how our brain and body work simultaneously together. In a way, this study gave solid and concrete evidence that there is a relation between breathing and memory/emotion. It is interesting to note that breathing through the mouth makes this phenomenon completely disappear, but not all surprising. As humans, we typically inhale and exhale through our nasal cavities rather than our mouths. It just is not natural to breath through your mouth for a long period of time (unless you are sick and will suffocate from how stuffy your nose is). To me, this part of the experiment was not all too surprising because as a species, we have evolved and adapted. Of course there would be more correlation of memory/emotion when breathing through your nose because that is naturally how we get oxygen supply into our body on a daily basis. We experience memory recall and emotional situations more when breathing the normal way we are suppose to breath, rather than heavily breathing through our mouths.
It is interesting that inhaling causes neuron stimulation between the olfactory, amygdala, and hippocampus. When we are rapidly breathing, this enhances how well we remember things and distinguish fear. This discovery shows concrete evidence of how both of these things are linked biologically and how our biology determines such things. One thing about this study that was hard to grasp would be how this would be applicable in the “real world.” We know that when we feel threatened or in danger, we breathe heavy and our heart rate increases. But, now that we know that the faster we inhale, the better we can detect fear and recall memory; how can we use this in real life? Should a person take more breaths when they feel they are in danger? Could this help an individual who may encounter an illegal crime remember the perpetrator(s) and therefore find justice? It is remarkable to find new information about how our bodies work, but the real question is how can we use this.
Response:
Understanding how the body works in correlation to our brain is exactly what our class objective is. This study is a great example of scientists trying to relate to how our brain and body work simultaneously together. In a way, this study gave solid and concrete evidence that there is a relation between breathing and memory/emotion. It is interesting to note that breathing through the mouth makes this phenomenon completely disappear, but not all surprising. As humans, we typically inhale and exhale through our nasal cavities rather than our mouths. It just is not natural to breath through your mouth for a long period of time (unless you are sick and will suffocate from how stuffy your nose is). To me, this part of the experiment was not all too surprising because as a species, we have evolved and adapted. Of course there would be more correlation of memory/emotion when breathing through your nose because that is naturally how we get oxygen supply into our body on a daily basis. We experience memory recall and emotional situations more when breathing the normal way we are suppose to breath, rather than heavily breathing through our mouths.
It is interesting that inhaling causes neuron stimulation between the olfactory, amygdala, and hippocampus. When we are rapidly breathing, this enhances how well we remember things and distinguish fear. This discovery shows concrete evidence of how both of these things are linked biologically and how our biology determines such things. One thing about this study that was hard to grasp would be how this would be applicable in the “real world.” We know that when we feel threatened or in danger, we breathe heavy and our heart rate increases. But, now that we know that the faster we inhale, the better we can detect fear and recall memory; how can we use this in real life? Should a person take more breaths when they feel they are in danger? Could this help an individual who may encounter an illegal crime remember the perpetrator(s) and therefore find justice? It is remarkable to find new information about how our bodies work, but the real question is how can we use this.
I found this article extremely interesting. The research suggested that people remember more in emotional situation as they inhale faster. I think this finding can be beneficial in the real world for multiple reasons because this new finding could help people remember more in situations when memory is crucial. Like you explained, when someone is in danger or in legal situations when someone is trying to identify a perpetrator.I feel as if a finding like this could be beneficial to explain to your kids As a parent you would explain that if he or she was ever in a dangerous situation, make sure to breath in order to remember the details. Also, in stressful situations where emotions are high, this technique could be beneficial. In certain professions such as; law enforcement or in the medical profession, this technique could help save a life.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the review of this article was an interesting read. I personally never thought of how inhaling and exhaling could affect one's memory and emotions. I feel like putting this information to real life use would be some what difficult since breathing is so automatic. We usually don't think about how fast or slow we are breathing and in order to change that we would have to train ourselves to be aware of our surroundings and start to inhale more if we think it would benefit us. I think knowing this information might help with recognizing faces in crimes but there are a lot of distractions when crimes occur. Our heart rate and breathing would already be increasing and I don't think we would consciously increase our breathing to help recognize a face during a crime.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting article to read for me, particularly because of the relationship between breathing and memorization that was emphasized. Prior to reading this, I didn't know that there was any sort of relation between the 2, and that breathing patterns could potentially improve cognitive ability. It makes sense though, thinking about it from a physiological standpoint, why breathing could affect memory capacity and thinking. In stressful situations, for example, our breathing rate would go up, and we wouldn't be able to think as clearly. Would this research be significant for use with college students during exams and tests? Or is the effect strictly limited to just visual memory and picture recollection? In other words, can the memorization of other pieces of information be made more efficient through this technique? I think that these findings are really interesting, and could lead to more efficient thinking and cognitive ability in certain situations that demand such.
ReplyDeleteGreat summary and response. Regarding the relationship between breathing and brain functions such as memory, I am interested to see how this information could eventually lead to advancements in treatments for disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder and dissociative amnesia. These psychological disorders are most commonly brought on by stressful or traumatic experiences. During experiences like these, there is a physiological response in our bodies, including a change in breathing. I am interested to find out if these breathing patterns mentioned in the article directly reflect the disorders that follow traumatic experiences. In terms of dissociative amnesia, there is a lack of conscious access to memory of traumatic events. Some argue that this a psychological response to trauma that causes us to unconsciously repress traumatic memories to reduce anxiety. In terms of physiology, it is possible that the physiological response to trauma such as changes in breathing and its effect on memory of emotional situations could lead to the development of this disorder. I believe this topic deserves some more research.
ReplyDeleteHey Krystal, great post! I wonder if the impact on memory was not made so much by the rythem of breathing, but by the participants' sense of smell. There are direct pathways between the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus, and this is why a certain scents can elicit vivid memory recollection. Perhaps this is why the memory effects in the study disappeared if participants breathed through their mouths instead of their noses.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Mullin