4 ms·

I've learned this fact in my neuropsychology class from Prof. Dr. Erik Scherder. He is nowadays semi-famous in The Netherlands even and spreads this message as

I've learned this fact in my neuropsychology class from Prof. Dr. Erik Scherder. He is nowadays semi-famous in The Netherlands even and spreads this message as loud and as far as he can. The thing that annoys me about research like this is: it may be true, but I don't feel it. So to what extent is it really helpful? That is until I had an accidental yet natural experiment that lasted for two weeks. For two weeks I cycled every odd day to my work and I went to my work by metro every even day. It happened to rain every even day (and sometimes I decided to go cycling anyway on odd days, despite it raining). At some point, after about a week, I started noticing upon reflection that I felt much better at work whenever I cycled. This reflection wasn't planned, I simply wondered why I felt not as horrible as I usually do in similar circumstances -- I was severely sleep deprived when I was reflecting on this. Since I wasn't purposefully conducting an experiment and this wasn't on my mind, I figured this showed the true strength of the effect. The second week I started zooming in on this difference and really noticed it well. I estimate that I was about 20% cognitively more performant and 20% more emotionally stable. It didn't matter whether I had sever sleep deprivation or not. It always felt like I was about 20% better. So, if you want to experience it yourself. Cycle on odd days (for about 20-30 minutes) and go to the metro on even days. Within 2 weeks you should have noticed a difference.

Mirioron 7y ago
>The thing that annoys me about research like this is: it may be true, but I don't feel it. So to what extent is it really helpful? I think another important question with research like this is: "does it affect everyone?" Something can be statistically significant over the population, but that doesn't mean every individual in the population has that specific effect, but I do expect an effect like this to be near universal.
cvolzer3 7y ago
I observed a similar impact in performance during undergrad and developed a routine around the impact. I work a mentally intense 5hr stretch in the morning then take a 2hr break to have lunch, exercise, and shower. By the time I return to work, I'm completely refreshed and able to put in another 5hr stretch at peak performance levels.

Mirioron 7y ago

>The thing that annoys me about research like this is: it may be true, but I don't feel it. So to what extent is it really helpful? I think another important question with research like this is: "does it affect everyone?" Something can be statistically significant over the population, but that doesn't mean every individual in the population has that specific effect, but I do expect an effect like this to be near universal.

cvolzer3 7y ago

I observed a similar impact in performance during undergrad and developed a routine around the impact. I work a mentally intense 5hr stretch in the morning then take a 2hr break to have lunch, exercise, and shower. By the time I return to work, I'm completely refreshed and able to put in another 5hr stretch at peak performance levels.