The utility of prolonged respiratory exhalation for reducing physiological and psychological arousal in non-threatening and threatening situations.
Abstract
To determine whether slowing and altering the respiratory pattern is an effective means for reducing physiological and psychological arousal, subjects participated in one of three treatment conditions in which they reduced their respiration rate to 6 cpm and either inhaled quickly and exhaled slowly, inhaled slowly and exhaled quickly, or spent equal amounts of time inhaling and exhaling. Other subjects participated in a distraction control condition or in a no-treatment control condition. Arousal was measured during a practice period, a threat (electrical shocks) anticipation period, and a threat confrontation period. The results indicated that the breathing manipulations were not effective in reducing arousal during the practice period, but that inhaling quickly and exhaling slowly was consistently effective for reducing physiological (skin resistance) and psychological (subjective cognitive) arousal during the anticipation and confrontation periods.
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- Authors
- Cappo, B. M., & Holmes, D. S.
- Corresponding author
- Holmes, David S.
- Venue
- Journal of Psychosomatic Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1984-01
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 265-273
- ISSN
- 0022-3999 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2013407139
- Cited by
- 115
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Psychosomatic Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Keywords
- breathing pattern, respiration rate, physiological arousal, psychological arousal, threat anticipation, skin resistance, cognitive arousal, relaxation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Arousal, Blood Pressure, Female, Galvanic Skin Response, Heart Rate, Humans, Male, Respiration
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