--- description: New research suggests that this particular breathing technique really does impact brain activity—and can even improve your memory. title: How Taking a Deep Breath May Improve Your Memory image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb361837e428837c/6988b26797cdff5c246aed86/breath-memory.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Mental Health](/tag/mental-health/) ## Mental Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How Taking a Deep Breath May Improve Your Memory ## Video: Air Pollution Linked to Millions of Deaths [Watch (HLS stream): Air Pollution Linked to Millions of Deaths](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Nc0ey0Ex.m3u8) (0:36)  _Published 2016-06-27. Air pollution contributes to about 6.5 million deaths each year, the International Energy Agency warned in a report released Monday_ by [Amanda MacMillan / Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Amanda MacMillan / Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 8, 2016 4:16 PM CUT  ZenShui/Michele Constantini—Getty Images/PhotoAlto by [Amanda MacMillan / Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Amanda MacMillan / Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 8, 2016 4:16 PM CUT When it comes to coping with scary or stressful situations, mental health experts have long given a simple piece of advice: [Take a deep breath](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20960615,00.html "undefined") in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Now, new research suggests that this particular breathing technique really does impact brain activity—and can even improve your memory. Northwestern University researchers recruited about 100 young adults, who were asked to make snap judgments about facial expressions that flashed quickly across a computer screen. Breathing did affect their performance: [When people were ](http://www.jneurosci.org/content/36/49/12448 "undefined")[inhaling](http://www.jneurosci.org/content/36/49/12448 "undefined") through their noses, they were able to recognize faces expressing fear faster than when they were exhaling. In another test, researchers looked at the participants’ ability to remember objects flashing on the screen. Here, too, they were more likely to remember objects if they encountered them during inhales, versus during exhales. When mouth-breathing, all these effects disappeared. The new study is the first to show that the rhythm of breathing creates electrical activity in the brain, according to the report, which was published in the [_Journal of Neuroscience_](http://www.jneurosci.org/content/36/49/12448 "undefined"). **_Health.com_**_:_ [_20 Weird Ways Breathing Right Can Improve Your Life_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20960615,00.html/?xid=time "undefined") “Our data is preliminary, but exciting,” says lead author Christina Zelano, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, to _Health_. “And though it is too preliminary at this stage, it has the potential to lead to some deliberate breathing strategies for cognitive enhancement.” She says that one of the study’s major findings is that nasal inhaling causes a “dramatic difference” in areas of the brain related to emotional processing (the amygdala) and memory (the hippocampus), compared with exhaling. Researchers discovered that when you breathe in, you’re [stimulating neurons](https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/12/rhythm-of-breathing-affects-memory-and-fear/ "undefined") in the olfactory cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, all across the limbic system. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_12 Unexpected Things that Mess With Your Memory_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20845146,00.html/?xid=time "undefined") Future studies on this topic may help explain the well-documented [psychological benefits of meditation](http://news.health.com/2015/08/28/the-beginners-guide-to-meditation/ "undefined") and focused breathing, says Zelano, which can essentially synchronize brain oscillations across the brain’s emotion center. The findings may also offer a clue as to why our breathing tends to speed up when we’re scared or panicked. “As a result, you’ll spend proportionally more time inhaling than when in a calm state,” Zelano says. This could affect brain function, she adds, “and result in faster response times to dangerous stimuli in the environment.” In fact, Zelano thinks we may even be able to use this knowledge to our advantage. “If you’re in a dangerous environment with fearful stimuli, our data indicate that you can respond more quickly if you are inhaling through your nose,” she says. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_9 Foods That May Help Save Your Memory_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20434658,00.html/?xid=time "undefined") Of course, this study is just a first step. Whether we can truly use our breath to enhance or control our fear response—or our memory, for that matter—remains to be seen, says Zelano. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/mind-body/breathing-memory-fear "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4594909/breathing-inhalation-memory/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4594909/breathing-inhalation-memory/"},"headline":"How Taking a Deep Breath May Improve Your Memory","datePublished":"2016-12-08T16:16:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:12:15.136Z","description":"There's a reason why meditation experts focus on breathing","url":"https://time.com/4594909/breathing-inhalation-memory/","keywords":["Mental Health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb361837e428837c/6988b26797cdff5c246aed86/breath-memory.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amanda MacMillan / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb361837e428837c/6988b26797cdff5c246aed86/breath-memory.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Man standing outside with arms and head back","caption":"Man standing outside with arms and head back","creditText":"ZenShui/Michele Constantini—Getty Images/PhotoAlto","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mental-health/","name":"Mental Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4594909/breathing-inhalation-memory/","name":"How Taking a Deep Breath May Improve Your Memory"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Air Pollution Linked to Millions of Deaths","description":"Air pollution contributes to about 6.5 million deaths each year, the International Energy Agency warned in a report released Monday","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Nc0ey0Ex/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-06-27T14:51:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Nc0ey0Ex.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4594909/breathing-inhalation-memory/","duration":"PT36S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4594909/breathing-inhalation-memory/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```