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Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

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Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#91

Post by kator »

evolvingstuff wrote: post #89
kator wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Professional public speakers... Maybe some do, but I've never needed it. Often I actually find public speaking easier than small groups. In a small group my brain is trying to "model" what each person is thinking about my talk, as the groups get larger that becomes impossible and I tend to relax and let go. I also find the energy in a larger setting is a useful feedback mechanism. I might toss a small joke out and…

That's interesting. My brain does the same in terms of attempting to simulate that model of the people, but when it becomes impossible to run the algorithm (too large of a group), instead of just giving up, my brain goes into panic mode. I have found propranolol helps me with many of the physical symptoms that would otherwise dominate.

Years of practice and “This won’t kill me” thinking have helped a lot. Also I watch every single talk I’ve given which is brutal but it lets me improve but also re-affirm I didn’t die…

[1] https://www.karlbunch.com/random/change/

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#92

Post by xpct »

galaxyLogic wrote: post #29

But fear is often good. Breathing slow to counter your fear should only be done when you know it is an irrational fear.

I'm not sure if that's true. I don't really get stressed or anxious, and from the few times I tried to put myself into stress mode I've performed much worse.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#94

Post by telesilla »

kator wrote: post #69
meindnoch wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Professional public speakers use a beta blocker like propanolol before going on stage.

> Professional public speakers... Maybe some do, but I've never needed it. Often I actually find public speaking easier than small groups. In a small group my brain is trying to "model" what each person is thinking about my talk, as the groups get larger that becomes impossible and I tend to relax and let go. I also find the energy in a larger setting is a useful feedback mechanism. I might toss a small joke out and…

I agree regarding audience size and add the factor or preparation - no way am I going to speak to a large audience without solid prep. That helps me a ton, feeling prepared and rehearsed.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#95

Post by shaboinkin »

watwut wrote: post #54
thisoneisreal wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree it's counterintuitive, but it makes sense when I think about how, for example, it's the least neurotic people who do high-risk activities like base jumping or mountain climbing. Fear drives you away from threatening things, lack of fear allows you to move toward them more comfortably.

I dont know what you mean by "neurotic", but my impression was that quite a lot of these have mental health issues. In some cases, the risk taking seemed more like hope for suicide in denial. And they tend to be difficult people with broken relationship.

Risk aversion could be looked at in the same lens in my opinion. It’s possible to be risk adverse in a modern society as we have risk takers to do it on your behalf. Policemen and women, firefighters, warfighters, astronauts, test pilots, athletes, etc. But if you’re a deer in the headlights and unable to be willing to push yourself past your preconceived fears and limits, you’re holding yourself back from your true potential. And why might that be the case? Did something happen in one’s life that causes them such behaviors where they’ll always prevent themselves from entering into uncomfortable situations? Anecdote, but there’s someone I know that absolutely avoids anything that could possibly be uncomfortable for him because of an accident that happened in his childhood. It’s all mental.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#96

Post by thesmtsolver2 »

albert_e wrote: post #42
thesmtsolver2 wrote: post #27

Something that yoga has propounded for centuries, been mocked and now science confirms it and the ignores the history and cultural practice.

who mocked breathing techniques though .. mindfulness and meditation have been seeing broad adoption - with apps like headspace etc also getting good traction

Now it is getting traction. Go back a few decades and you would be mocked as hippy, new agey, zealot, etc., depending on the continent and decade.

There is still resistance in India to teaching this in government schools.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#97

Post by steve-atx-7600 »

thisoneisreal wrote: post #8
cryzinger wrote: post #4

Parasympathetic nervous activation increased risk-taking behavior? That's interesting/unexpected (at least to me). Also, this part caught my eye: > The selective impact of prolonged exhalation breathing on reward responsiveness has important implications for clinical contexts, such as anxiety, panic disorder, and depression, given their distinct autonomic signatures and maladaptive reward processing. By enhancing car…

I agree it's counterintuitive, but it makes sense when I think about how, for example, it's the least neurotic people who do high-risk activities like base jumping or mountain climbing. Fear drives you away from threatening things, lack of fear allows you to move toward them more comfortably.

The least neurotic people that are still alive :)

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#98

Post by elendilm »

krzat wrote: post #83
elendilm wrote: post #57

The idiocy of thinking calmness leading to optimal results. Usually this comes from people who never accomplished anything. The paper is the prime example of pseudo science masquerading as science.

Oh, the irony of writing an angry post about benefits of anger.

You must have accomplished a lot since you seem to focus on anger rather than substance. Did I disturb your calm.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#99

Post by dredmorbius »

polnurfer wrote: post #66

Also reduces your personal carbon footprint.

Respiration and metabolism exhaust CO2 and H20 which are sourced from recent biospheric, rather than fossil, sources. That carbon is already in the biosphere, and the net carbon balance is effectively nil.

Until someone comes up with a food-synthesis process based on fossil sources (e.g., petrochemicals, limestone, or the like), this will be the case.

That's not to say that the agricultural food cycle is net thermal-forcing neutral as there are 1) fossil fuel inputs (ICE engines, generation, and Haber-Bosch nitrogen fertiliser fixation most notably), 2) other greenhouse gas emissions (notably methane from livestock), and 3) some carbon emission from ground tillage and release of carbon from topsoil. But none of those will be much affected by your respiratory rate.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#100

Post by YZF »

brador wrote: post #90
djtango wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your confident ignorance motivated me to at least dig up some cursory research on this space, I hadn’t previously bothered because I live and breathe this stuff (pun not intended). As a young impressionable, I set out to understand and overcome performance anxiety as someone who suffered from it. After some reading, one of my conclusions was that I should do the most stressful thing possible to understand stress bett…

Cancel the Muai Thai, switch to Judo immediately. Your brain is attached to your inner skull with candyfloss like tendrils. They do not repair. Software engineering, even prompting, with a concussion or CTE is impossible.

Judo isn't that healthy either. Many Judo-ka have hurt their backs from the damage accumulated from falls and there are other ways to injure yourself in Judo. If you're looking for those sorts of high stress combat situations you can get that with Karate styles that practice a lot less contact. There's still high pressure but a lot less than full contact fighting where you're just hitting and getting hit all the time. Some chance of injury but it's a lot rarer.

I do agree that getting constantly hit in the head is probably not a good idea (e.g. boxing). If you want the stress of public speaking join Toastmasters or something ;)

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