Ken Paller

James Padilla Professor of Psychology, Northwestern University; senior author

Appears in 1 story

Born: Los Angeles, California

Education: University of California, Los Angeles, University of California at San Diego

Last updated Nov 2, 2026

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Study finds humans react faster when exhaling than inhaling

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As of September 2026: Leading NIH-funded follow-up research on sleep

Northwestern University neuroscientists have found that humans react faster when exhaling than when inhaling. In a sustained-attention test with 35 adults, responses during exhalation were on average 41 milliseconds quicker than during inhalation — about 1/25th of a second.

Updated Sep 29