Image: Noah Clayton Getty Images
In Brief
- We are used to thinking of intelligence as largely a matter of genetic inheritance, but that is not the whole picture. What you do affects your mental well-being: staying physically and mentally active helps us stay sharp as we age.
- Nevertheless, our personal efforts to bolster cognitive enhancement cannot forestall all declines in our cognitive performance.
- What is especially surprising is the powerful link between physical activity and mental acuity. Staying fit helps us keep cognition more robust as well.
As everybody knows, if you do not work out, your muscles get flaccid. What most people don’t realize, however, is that your brain also stays in better shape when you exercise. And not just challenging your noggin by, for example, learning a new language, doing difficult crosswords or taking on other intellectually stimulating tasks. As researchers are finding, physical exercise is critical to vigorous mental health, too.
Surprised? Although the idea of exercising cognitive machinery by performing mentally demanding activities—popularly termed the “use it or lose it” hypothesis—is better known, a review of dozens of studies shows that maintaining a mental edge requires more than that. Other things you do—including participating in activities that make you think, getting regular exercise, staying socially engaged and even having a positive attitude—have a meaningful influence on how effective your cognitive functioning will be in old age.
This article was originally published with the title Fit Body, Fit Mind?.
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31 Comments
Add CommentCould not agree with you more, staying fit, tai chi, the jog once a while has helped me write my theories, even correct the mathematical derivative, true.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi want to learn tai chi..i'm far from being old(25yrs) but I read this magazine all the time and I find stories like this very interesting with aging parents. I want them to be sharp as they get older so I don't have to take care of them!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'd like to clarify my comment as it sounds harsh. I only say this because my mother has spent the last 5 years inundated with making sure HER parents are taken care of and this causes lots of stress on my mother keeping up with so many doctors, nurses, homecare attendants and prescriptions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA perfect example of this phenonema is todays' brand of athletes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow odd that the framing of this article does not fit the actual content. The title and introduction would have you believe that fat people or people who cannot exercise for one reason or another cannot retain their brain power. Yet what the article goes on to tell us is that it is just one factor of several, and concludes "Clearly, there is no magic pill or one-shot vaccine that inoculates the individual against cognitive decline in old age. Thus, public policy regarding cognitive enrichment should follow a health prevention model."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe message you end up reinforcing is that it's ok to target fat people as stupid.
It is not about targeting fat people and making them feel stupid- this goes beyond body images. We are all born with different genetic make ups and body types- point is what do we do with that body.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is not about targeting fat people and making them feel stupid. As a person who has suffered from negative body images all my life, the point is to think beyond dichotomies like fat/thin. We are all born with different genetic make ups and different body types- but it is upon us as to what we do with this body of ours.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf you were an employer trying to keep up productivity and keep insurance cost down, who would you hire if two people were had basically the same talents, but one listed in their hobbies, "Avid tennis player.", while the other one listed "Reading science fiction."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDepends on what kind of job it is.Being fat doesnot necessarily mean you are not fit.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPhenomenal article!... I am a physical trainer who studies brain activity when performing multi-tasking fitness movements. Neurogenesis and Neuroplasticity are a must in any physical program. My upcoming book about brain and exercise will be out in Spring 2010. I don't want to use this space for marketing, just wanted to congratulate the editorial and if anyone wants to contact me i will be happy to assist them.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would probably hire the one who read sci-fi. But I mostly staff heavy-duty engineering positions. It's hard to say for sure, because I have never actually been in that situation of having 2 equal candidates in 25 years. It has just never happened.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI tend to like engineers who read sci-fi myself. I read a lot of it, and it has generally been my notation that people who read a lot of sci-fi are pretty good at figuring out solutions to weird problems.
I am an exercise buff, always have been. But oddly, thinking back, I have never, not once, ever considered the physical condition someone was in when hiring. About half the candidates I have hired were significantly overweight. I encourage people to exercise if the work for me. Everyone knows they can get a little flex in their schedule if they need to work out. But it has never entered into my evaluation.
Corelation does not mean cause and effect. There are still enormous factors which will influnce the cognitive ability of the elders such as social issues. It is really hard to get a clear picture about cognition.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnyway, physical exercises are good, at least make us look young.
it has been obvious for years that this is true... I cannot understand why there is such a slow process to recogise the obvious... maybe too little exercise
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe a healthy lifestyle(body and mind) includes these five critical factors: Physical Activity, Nutrition, Mental Stimulation, Socialization and Spirituality
Dr. Paul Nussbaum
fitbrains.com
I'd like Dr. Nussbaum to tell us what he means by "spirituality." This term is used and misused in so many ways that it has, unfortunately, lost meaning.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPazuzu
And who is the brain dead ad editor allowing White Castle to advertise on the masthead? My life just got shorter looking at picture of the those grease bombs.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPazuzu's got it right. "Spirituality" is meaningless, just a high-falutin concept for aspects of mental activity that are more connected with the social and emotional engagement of the brain: morals, religion, art, etc...At the origin the "spirit" was the breath exhaled, evidence of life and feelings. A lot of writers love to use that word, as a kind of mouthwash to signify "noble", elevated aspiration. ROO.BOOKAROO
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow does Stephen Hawking remain so mentally acute in spite of his utter lack of physical activity due to his medical condition?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think there may be questions about what is a cause and what is an effect in aspects of this article, as well as problems related to single-factor analysis. As far as I am aware, the emphasis on working out, jogging, and various forms of exercise is a relatively recent phenomenon, My suggestion would be if you like a form of activity, do it; if you don't, don't! I'd hire the science fiction fan. I am, alas, one of those for whom "gym" in high school was organized sadism in the name of fitness.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGet that cardio workout every day. Watch your diet and weight. Avoid sugar! Exercise your mind. Keep a positive attitude. These are all the maxims of good health and mental function at any age.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would also add- Avoid Toxics! Toxic substances, drugs, alcohol, food additives, solvents, the list in our toxic society is endless, and as we age, our toxin filters don't work as well. In addition I say avoid toxic relationships, attitudes, and people.
Play with children, or at least play like children!
Point is, if you exercise, and eat right, and don't poison yourself, you will feel much better, and think much clearer. What's astounding, is how few people actually follow this age old and good advice.
It's not being fat/thin, it's about being physically healthy, which will be changining from person to person. If your physical strength is good, mind need not concentrate on issues of physical strength, and not only that, physical excersises will keep all your body parts active, thus making your more relaxed and concentrated while performing your job.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy Name is Wendy Jarvis, my husband and I publish a free monthly newsletter called. south coast seniors. My question is: On occassion, may we quote an article of yours, promoting your magazine? We are interested in articles related to the elderly. Sincerely,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWendy Jarvis
541-260-9365 or southcoastseniors@yahoo.com
I sent of a similiar comment previously. My husband and I publish a free newspaper called "South Coast Seniors". We would like to quote some of your articles relating to senior issues. May we do so? We of course would direct our readers to your website.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHope to hear from you soon,
Wendy Jarvis
I must say it is indeed crucial for a human body to engage in physical activity on regular bases. Personally, when I wake up in the morning, not only is my body sluggish but also my brain activity. So the best wake up call for both body and mind to stay sharp through the day, would be to at least exercise 20min.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOne important point is that our body does not operate in a fragmented manner. I describe the brain and body as a miraculous symphony. One system directly impacts another and both health and disease effects can be experienced as a result throughout the body. Exercise is one example of a behavior that has positive impact on multiple systems of the body including the brain.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile I am not yet sure that any one behavior such as exercise is better than another in promoting brain health, I do champion regular exercise as a very important behavior with positive brain health effects. My view is to approach brain health from an integrated manner using the five part brain health lifestyle. This approach fits with the complex integrated reality of our bodies and brains.
fitbrains.com
What if the job is for a writer for startrek
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat if the other one listed "Reading Quantum mechanics"
Please email me AMPatruno@gmail.com I am curious as to what sources you found most helpful in putting together your book. Thanks
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOverall an excellent article. Good to see a mainstream magazine sticking to the research and not attempting to sensationalize a topic at the expense of facts.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was disappointed, however, in that you neglected to mention the benefits of resistance training on cognition. Yes, the data on aerobic exercise is more extensive, but there is compelling evidence that resistance training confers significant improvements on markers of mental health, possibly through IGF-1 and/or homocysteine related mechanisms. Given the theorized mechanisms of action, it seems probable that performing both aerobic and resistive exercise will provide synergistic effects on brain function.
Brad Schoenfeld, CSCS
www.workout911.com
It seems to me that the pure mechanical aspect of heightened blood flow from vigorous activity, be one fat or fit, will nourish the brain as much as irrigation does my garden. Or in other words, work hard to flush the toxins out!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe title alone would have one believe that the brain is an actual muscle. According to a Newser.com article posted Apr 21, 2010 titled: "Being Fat Hurts Your Brain"; research studies are linking "obesity with declining mental faculties". I personally wouldn't link obesity with the lack of brain functions, but I do know for a fact that fasting for several days does significantly increase activity in the motor cortex as well as increases the brains energy by 30%-70%.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe title alone would have one believe that the brain is an actual muscle. According to a Newser.com article posted Apr 21, 2010 titled: "Being Fat Hurts Your Brain"; research studies are linking "obesity with declining mental faculties". I personally wouldn't link obesity with the lack of brain functions, but I do know for a fact that fasting for several days does significantly increase activity in the motor cortex as well as increases the brains energy by 30%-70%.
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