Rhythms of the Body, Rhythms of the Brain: Respiration, Neural Oscillations, and Embodied Cognition

Respiration, despite being a constant rhythmic bodily process, has been largely overlooked in Embodied Cognition research. This paper argues that breathing exerts a significant, unexpected bottom-up influence on cognitive processes by modulating neural synchronization. The authors propose respiration as a model for a general mechanism through which the body affects cognition. They also suggest that respiration can play a dual pragmatic and epistemic role, reducing cognitive load through a loop-like interaction between neural and non-neural elements, drawing a parallel to the role of gesture.

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Abstract

In spite of its importance as a life-defining rhythmic movement and its constant rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the body, respiration has not received attention in Embodied Cognition (EC) literature. Our paper aims to show that (1) respiration exerts significant and unexpected bottom-up influence on cognitive processes, and (2) it does so by modulating neural synchronization that underlies specific cognitive processes. Then, (3) we suggest that the particular example of respiration may function as a model for a general mechanism through which the body influences cognitive functioning. Finally, (4) we work out the implications for embodied cognition, draw a parallel to the role of gesture, and argue that respiration sometimes plays a double, pragmatic and epistemic, role, which reduces the cognitive load. In such cases, consistent with EC, the overall cognitive activity includes a loop-like interaction between neural and non-neural elements. (141 words)