Deliberate control of breathing or holding your breath.

[the tree]

What is it about breathing as opposed to the other "automatic" functions that we have deliberate control over it when we want?

 

Is breathing dealt with by a different part of the brain to say, the circulatory system - or are there more subtle safe guards built in to stop the conscious mind from mucking around with things it shouldn't?

 

Can other animals do this as well? I would imagine that hunters who rely on stealth such as big cats would benefit from being able to hold their breath - but it feels like it may be something that we've learned.

[insane_alien]

well, there are advantages to it, control over breathing would allow you to dive in water perhaps to escape a predator or to get food. as early human followed the coastlines there isn't any reason to suspect what came before us followed the coast to using it as a supply of food.

 

also, breathing has a bit of holding capacity. if you could control your heart to the extent we can control our breathing then you could kill yourself by stopping your heart for a few seconds.

[Phi for All]

Can other animals do this as well?

I'm fairly certain that if you dunk canines or felines they will hold their breath. Rats swim well and I remember hearing about Rattus invictus being able to dive underwater (they'd have to hold their breath for that, wouldn't they?). Many birds can hunt briefly underwater also.

 

But you're right, it does seem to be the one autonomic system we can control to a fair degree due to the need for the occasional override to prevent noxious substances from being inhaled.

[Baby Astronaut]

But you're right, it does seem to be the one autonomic system we can control to a fair degree due to the need for the occasional override to prevent noxious substances from being inhaled.

Also controlled to a fair degree is....blinking, due to people sometimes needing an override to keep unwanted substances from the eye ;)

[BarBonus]

Hearing is very similar to breathing, we can't control the sounds that reach our ears (besides with earplugs), but what makes us able to nullify background noise, and only focus in to the people were communicating with, or hear our names immediately. etc.

 

I feel there are many behaviors we do, that we contribute to having control over but are truly instinctual.

 

- barbonus.blogspot.com

[Skye]

The conscious control of breathing is separate from the involuntary control, it is controlled by the motor cortex rather than the brainstem, and has separate neural pathways through the spinal cord. Humans have a fairly good voluntary control over breathing, probably because it's important to speaking.