The Psychology of Money

Breathing’s Indirect and Unseen Benefits

 

Welcome to another edition of The Breathing 411:

Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for you to consider this week. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS


1. The Science of Breathing’s Indirect Benefits

Last week we learned that breathing is the only true compounding health habit. However, I believe the real magic occurs when breathing begins improving other areas of our lives. I’ve never had a reasonable explanation for these "indirect effects." They just seemed to happen. But now I do, thanks to Tiny Habits.

In this excellent book, behavioral scientist BJ Fogg shows us how tiny changes in one area of your life can lead to massive changes in others. It all comes down to a simple equation: B = MAP

A Behavior happens when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt all come together. Makes sense. But the significant breakthrough Fogg discovered is the curved (nonlinear) relationship for when action occurs (adapted from his book below):

Befor_and_After.jpg

In this hypothetical example, we see how a breathing practice might help you exercise by increasing your motivation and physical ability (e.g., better sleep and oxygenation). The exercise prompt is now above the action line, and you exercise.

This is behavioral science, not physics. So there are no exact numbers for "motivation" or "ability." It will be unique from person-to-person. But this is where the real magic of compounding occurs. We move beyond just breathing, and begin fulfilling our own individual goals and ambitions.

P.S. Some examples from my life:

  • Walking 100 miles.

  • Having more energy to manage my diabetes.

  • Waking up before 4 a.m. every day for breathing research.

2. Health is What You Don’t See

"But the truth is that wealth is what you don't see. Wealth is the nice cars not purchased. The diamonds not bought. The watches not worn, the clothes forgone and the first-class upgrade declined."

- Morgan Housel, The Psychology of Money

Similarly, health is what you don’t see. It’s the cold you didn’t get, the late night you didn’t have, the stress you didn’t experience, the breathlessness you didn’t have after a brisk walk to catch your flight.

This is why the benefits of a long-term breathing practice might not be immediately apparent. You can’t measure the number of health issues that breathing helped you avoid. But that makes them no less important.


3. Longer Exhalations Are An Easy Way to Hack Your Vagus Nerve

"Just two minutes of deep breathing with longer exhalation engages the vagus nerve, increases HRV, and improves decision-making."

- Christopher Bergland, Psychology Today

Here’s another gem from Psychology Today on slow breathing, stress, and the vagus nerve. I may or may not have visualized "squirting some stress-busting vagusstoff" onto my heart when I took my next slow breath : )

4. Breath Matching

Rather than focus on any specific method, focus on your goals: to reduce anxiety, to increase focus, to improve autonomic function, to fall asleep, and on and on.

Then, based on those aspirations, find the right match. For combatting anxiety, you might choose extended exhales. For focus, you might pick box breathing.

But it’s not about the method; it’s about the outcome you wish to experience.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Life and respiration are complementary. There is nothing living which does not breathe nor anything breathing which does not live."

- William Harvey, 1653, Lectures on the Whole of Anatomy

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: More than 60% of primary care physician visits are related to this condition.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is stress?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Really made me stop and think

 
 

Smiling and the Warren Buffets of Breathing

 

Greetings,

Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer to consider this week. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing is the Only True Compounding Health Benefit

"Growth is driven by compounding, which always takes time."

- Morgan Housel, The Psychology of Money

Many investors are better than Warren Buffet. But did you know he bought his first stock when he was 11 years old? It’s not as exciting to talk about, but a large portion of his success is simply due to how long he’s been investing.

This is because compounding always takes time. And, just as importantly, it always takes consistency. If Buffet jumped in and out of stocks or randomly took time off, he might not have achieved his success. It took time and consistency.

These factors are also why breathing is the only real compounding health benefit. Most of us won’t stick to one health routine as long as Buffet has stuck with investing. It’s natural to try new workouts, start a new diet, and on and on.

But we’ll always be breathing. If we invest in simple changes like nose breathing 24/7, the benefits will compound (literally) for the rest of our life. Time becomes our friend. Since we will always be breathing, we will always be compounding.

2. Nasal Breathing, Smiling, and The Power of Compounding

"All these methods trained children to breathe through their noses, all day, every day. It was a habit they would carry with them the rest of their lives."

- James Nestor, Breath

In Breath, James Nestor describes tribal people with perfectly straight teeth, free of chronic illnesses, and who rarely got sick. Their secret? Nasal breathing.

This was not just any nasal breathing, though. It was a lifetime of nasal breathing. Nestor tells us that mothers would stand over their sleeping babies and close their mouths if needed. They even resisted smiling (!?!) with their mouths open.

This was compounding at its best. Nose breathing was in their genes, and it was passed down from generation to generation for millennia. The result, as Nestor recounts, was seemingly "superhuman physical characteristics" and perfect health. These tribal people were the Warren Buffets of nose breathing.

3. Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises and Your Vagus Nerve

"When it comes to effective vagal maneuvers, any type of deep, slow diaphragmatic breathing…is going to stimulate your vagus nerve, activate your parasympathetic nervous system, and improve your HRV."

- Psychology Today
Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises and Your Vagus Nerve

I basically highlighted this entire article : ) But what I appreciated most was the author sharing how he uses diaphragmatic breathing in a practical and straightforward way.

Enjoy stimulating your vagus nerve more today!

4. Become A Breathing Genius

"A genius is the man who can do the average thing when everyone else around him is losing his mind." – Napoleon

If you want to be a breathing genius, breathe averagely—nasal, slow, low—in stressful situations. Or David Bidler says, we don’t need more complicated breathing techniques; we need to apply simple ones to harder challenges. 

Give it a shot today when you inevitably find yourself in a stressful situation.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Those of us who practice breathing exercises today may well pass on more disease resistant genes to our descendants tomorrow."

- Michael J. Stephen MD, Breath Taking

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: This fish can breathe through its gills in water and through its skin and mouth lining on land.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is a mudskipper?