Exercise not only makes you healthier and
happier, it also makes you smarter, says
new research. An up-and-coming field of
neuroscientific research has linked
smartness to your regular routine of cardio.
The neuroscience researchers have found
that there is more to exercise that just
improving your blood circulation. It helps in
expression of a particular gene that floods your brain with brain derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Mental sharpness, ability to learn and memorise
are aided by the BDNF protein.
The study was carried out in DartmouthCollege in USA by lead researcher
Michael Hopkins and his team. The team divided the participants in four groups
before giving them a memory test and conducting a mental health survey. One
of the groups exercised daily, another exercised daily but not on the day of test
and survey, third group whose participants exercised only on the day of their
test and survey, and the last group who remained sedentary.
The conclusion of the research by Hopkins and his team was that only the
group that exercised throughout, including on the day of the test and survey,
experienced a boost in BDNF. The researchers clarified that only moderate
exercises such as walking were performed by the participants, and there was
no vigorous workout schedule that they went through. They said that for
deriving mental health benefits out of exercise, it is important that you do not
exert your full might when working out. You just need to move all of your body
for more than half the days in a week.
The positive effect of exercise on mental health was also confirmed by a
research in Canada. Moderate strength training in women aged 70 odd for six
months slowed down the aggravation of dementia. And in young men and
women, the result of exercise was that they became sharper, mentally faster
and smarter. This corroborates the findings of the DartmouthCollege Research
Exercise Makes You Smarter
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