There’s a clever theory that people are becoming ‘less attractive’ due to everyday habit

A neuroscientist has explained how the way you breathe can have an impact on the way you look.

Breathing, it's one of the many critical factors in keeping us alive and yet it's something you probably spend very little to no time thinking about.

For something which we spend all day doing without even thinking about it, inhaling and exhaling allows the body's red blood cells to move around the body, allowing cellular respiration (where the body converts food to energy) to take place and expel carbon dioxide.

All of which are critical to maintaining life.

However one neuroscientist has argued that breathing is responsible for much more than just keeping us alive – with the way you choose to breathe impacting the way we look.

So how is that the case?

According to one neuroscientist, how you breath impacts how you lool (Getty Stock Images)

Nose breathing vs mouth breathing

It's probably something you spend very little to no time thinking about, but how are you currently breathing – through your nose or through your mouth?

I'd reckon that most us are likely to breathe through our noses, unless we've been struck down by a pretty gnarly cold or hay-fever flare up.

But it turns out there's a reason for that, as there are many benefits to breathing out of your nose.

Dangers of breathing through your mouth

According to Healthline, it's estimated that around 30 to 50 percent of people breathe through their mouths for an extended period of time. Most people will do this in the morning, or while they're sleeping, which of course causes snoring.

Breathing through your mouth has been linked to numerous health complications such as:

• inhaling unfiltered air containing allergens, viruses and bacteria
• dry mouth and bad breath
• increased risk of tooth decay
• sleep apnea

Mouth breathing can't always be helped, especially if you're exercising or suffering with congestion, however it may impact your facial structure (Getty Stock Images)

Your nose on the other-hand is designed to be used for breathing, with your nasal hairs acting as filters which prevent dust, viruses and bacteria getting into your lungs.

Of course we can breathe through our mouths during times where it's not possible to use our noses - for example, people with a deviated septum or blocked nostrils may rely on their mouths more - but it shouldn't be the default.

Think of it more as a failsafe option.

How breathing changes your face

Alongside health issues, breathing through your gob can also impact the structure of your face, with neuroscientist Andrew Huberman explaining on an episode of Chris Williamson's Modern Wisdom podcast that relying on mouth breathing causes chin recession and eye drooping.

“People, and in particular children, who over-use mouth breathing as opposed to nasal breathing have changes in the structure of the face that makes them far more unattractive than if they were to mouth breathe," he said.

"The characteristic change in the face when one over-does mouth breathing is that the chin starts to move back towards the neck and the eyes become droopy because there is less use of the sinuses."

Alongside health benefits, Huberman claims that breathing through your nose can also improve your facial structure, saying that helps with defining your jaw.

"Nasal breathing, good. Mouth breathing, bad for cranial facial development," he added.

Can these changes be reversed?

Now if you're someone who was guilty of breathing through their mouth as a child then do not despair, as Huberman claims that you can reverse the impact of mouth breathing.

Referencing the book Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic, Huberman notes several 'before and after' scenarios where children have seen visible changes after switching to nose breathing.

"The good news is this stuff is modifiable across the lifespan," he said, adding that you don't need to buy any tools to improve your jawline, just your nose and a diet of food which requires chewing.

There are also numerous benefits to breathing out your nose (Getty Stock Images)

Mouth vs nose breathing: the twin experiment

If you're still not convinced by Huberman's arguments, he goes on to reference a study used in the book which compared the breathing habits of two twins.

According to Huberman, one twin grew up eating 'tougher foods that require chewing' while the other was primarily consuming softer foods.

"One kid has a beautiful jaw structure and high cheekbones," he claimed. "The other kid is droopy, their teeth are [misshapen] and they're mouth breathing."

Understandably the study isn't perfect science - as many factors can determine a person's face shape outside of breathing - but it certainly might help to use your nose for its primary function.