Scientists say your breathing pattern may reveal identity, mood, and health

Yahoo

14-06-2025

Thought your fingerprint was unique? Turns out, your breath is just as telling.
In a groundbreaking study, scientists have found that each person's breathing pattern is distinct enough to serve as a kind of respiratory fingerprint.
Careful analysis of those patterns over a full day allowed researchers to identify individuals with nearly 96.8 percent accuracy, underscoring just how unique our breath really is.
The research originated from the lab's focus on olfaction — the sense of smell.
In mammals, the brain processes scent during inhalation, tying breathing closely to brain activity.
This connection sparked a question: if every brain is unique, could our breathing patterns reveal that individuality?
To test their hypothesis, the team designed a lightweight wearable device that continuously monitors nasal airflow, using soft, flexible tubes positioned just beneath the nostrils.
The team, led by brain scientist Timna Soroka at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, discovered that our breath isn't just a mechanical reflex.
It's shaped by a complex neural network in the brain and subtly influenced by everything from physical activity to emotional state.
Discreet device on the nape of the neck, which recorded airflow through soft tubes connected to the nose. Credit-Soroka et al. Current Biology'You would think that breathing has been measured and analyzed in every way,' says author Noam Sobel of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
'Yet we stumbled upon a completely new way to look at respiration. We consider this as a brain readout.'
Using a device that fits neatly over the nose, the researchers monitored the breathing patterns of 100 healthy young adults as they went about their daily lives, capturing a detailed log of 24 respiratory parameters.
Even just an hour of recorded breathing allowed for moderate identification, but with a full day's worth of data, the uniqueness of each person's breath pattern became strikingly clear.
What's more, these breathing signatures didn't just point to identity. They also hinted at broader health markers, from body mass index, sleep-wake cycle, levels of depression and anxiety, and even behavioral traits.
Participants with self-reported anxiety, for instance, showed shorter inhales and greater variability during sleep, opening new avenues for mental health diagnostics through breath alone.
Researchers, however, noted that none of the participants met clinical diagnostic criteria for mental or behavioral conditions.
'We intuitively assume that how depressed or anxious you are changes the way you breathe,' says Sobel. 'But it might be the other way around. Perhaps the way you breathe makes you anxious or depressed. If that's true, we might be able to change the way you breathe to change those conditions.'
The current device still has practical hurdles to overcome. Its visible nasal tube can evoke associations with illness, potentially discouraging everyday use. It also doesn't track mouth breathing and can shift during sleep.
The team is now working on a more discreet, user-friendly design to make long-term wear more comfortable and appealing.
The researchers are already investigating whether people can mimic healthy breathing patterns to improve their mental and emotional states.
'We definitely want to go beyond diagnostics to treatment, and we are cautiously optimistic,' says Sobel.
This research has been published in Current Biology.