Key result
A 5-minute session of slow breathing did not significantly affect overall muscle tension but significantly improved executive function accuracy at the 5th minute in men compared to listening to music (Hedges' g 0.622).
Why the study?
Intensive office work causes muscular and mental disorders from workplace stressors, and the comparative effects of mindful, slow, or fast breathing versus music on muscle tension and executive function were unclear.
Do brief breathing exercises (mindful, slow, or fast) or listening to music improve muscle tension and executive function under psychological stress in healthy adults?
RCT (n=48)
Latin Square Williams design
No
Do brief breathing exercises (mindful, slow, or fast) or listening to music improve muscle tension and executive function under psychological stress in healthy adults?
Standardized Mean Difference: 0.622
Absolute Event Rate: 96.4% vs 92.6%
p-value: p=0.011
Brief slow breathing exercises may help sustain executive function in men under psychological stress, though they do not substantially affect muscle tension.
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Hypothesis-generating for breathing exercises in office workers; leaves open effects on muscle tension and executive function.
Liang et al. (2023) conducted an RCT in Psychological stress (n=48). Slow breathing vs. Listening to music was evaluated on Accuracy rate in the Stroop Test at the 5th minute in men (Hedges' g 0.622, p=0.011). A 5-minute session of slow breathing did not significantly affect overall muscle tension but significantly improved executive function accuracy at the 5th minute in men compared to listening to music (Hedges' g 0.622).
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