Bad mood? Try breathing.
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
During stressful times, we take deep breaths. Why does that help?
Amy Kartar, Alessandro Colsanti, and team at the University of Sussex studied this question.
Thirty participants breathed deeply for thirty minutes while listening to ambient music. Then they completed surveys about fear, discomfort, and altered states of consciousness. Some also had brain scans.
Results? Participants reported decreased negative emotions and more blissful feelings. Bliss intensity was linked to as much as eighteen percent LESS blood flow in the brain. The amygdala and hippocampus, the brain’s emotion and memory centers, were most affected!
So just calm down, take a deep breath, and play Loh Down aaaaat haaaalf speeeed.
Reference: Kartar, A. A., et al. Neurobiological substrates of altered states of consciousness induced by high ventilation breathwork accompanied by music. PLOS One, 20, 8 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329411