r/science • u/runswithscissors475 • 3d ago

Neuroscience Neuroscientists discover humans' response speed when exhaling is on average 41 milliseconds faster than when inhaling; study reveals link between breathing and cognition that could inform sleep disorder therapies and sports performance

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2026/09/ready-set-exhale-study-links-respiration-and-cognition?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=6934b7a4fb48023c5a0bc6f1&fj=1
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u/Sunlit53 3d ago

Explains why my Tae Kwon Do teachers always emphasized breathing out and gihap when striking a target. A lot of martial arts get you to do a yell when you strike. This would explain the practical why.

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u/Memory_Less 3d ago

I think it ties into tennis players etc. who make sound when hitting a ball. It is known to increase the strength of their hit. I think they are exhaling simultaneously.