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Evolutionary history and why physical activity is important for brain health
- FabHK 7y ago> we have developed a game designed to specifically challenge aspects of cognition that tend to decline with age and that are probably needed during foraging. In the game, players spatially navigate and complete attention and memory tasks while cycling at a moderate aerobic intensity level. Sounds interesting and potentially fun. And it might provide more motivation for exercise. Startup idea...
- dartdartdart1 7y agoOr maybe host a tournament series where you host the top x amount of players and they all have to play while on a treadmill haha
- dnhz 7y agoThe claim is that by running around outdoors, the brain gets used in a variety of ways such as navigation, decision-making, and sensory processing. Then why doesn't driving around in a car have similar benefits? Or does it?
- mandeepj 7y agoGood question. It might - maybe that's why people say - driving is stressing or exhausting. One distinction - While running you are physically moving, and not while driving
- jeltz 7y agoThe same question could be asked for many video games, which require the same things.
- friendlybus 7y agoIt says in the article that cognitively demanding video games + exercise together equals more BDNF
- asdf21 7y agoVideo games do exercise the mind... >In particular, playing Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day over two months increased adult volunteers’ brain volume in their right hippocampus, the right prefrontal cortex, and the cerebellum. These regions in the brain are responsible for memory formation, strategic planning, muscle control, and spatial navigation. https://lifehacker.com/study-shows-playing-video-games-really-can-make-your-br-1459504489 https://lifehacker.com/study-shows-playing-video-games-reall...
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- macintux 7y agoI doubt driving (or video games) engages the brain the same way. Driving, you're heavily insulated from most noise (or, like in my Jeep, your hearing is overwhelmed by road noise). You're not smelling your environment, nor feeling it, and certainly you're not exercising as many muscle groups. I'd speculate (ok, wild guess) that it's the combination of blood flow, muscle exercise, all of your senses, which is so beneficial. See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Child_in_the_Woods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Child_in_the_Woods.
- anon73044 7y agoI think the key is the amount of stress induced while driving. If you're driving an appliance like a Tesla or Camry you're getting next to zero stimulation. If you're driving,say, a clapped out, no powersteering, manual trans G-body, the level of stress and multitasking is an order of magnitude greater. Though in that case let's level of stress might be more if a detriment than a benefit.
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- jjtheblunt 7y agoGuessing, but i bet all the hardware subsystems are in play when actually moving all available limbs in space and time.
- gherkinnn 7y agoThey are vastly different things. Feeling the ground, constantly adapting your gait, managing your resources (consciously or otherwise), navigating, pacing yourself, the smells, the sounds, wind and weather. Your thoughts. Eventually hunger, thirst, and maybe an ache or so become noticeable. Pushing through anyway. A car on the other hand has layers and layers of abstraction between you and your environment. Satnav, ABS, suspension, petrol gages, heated seats, lane-assist, gear boxes, seatbelts, AC, and automatic windscreen wipers. Unless you're a racing driver in a suitably setup car, of course.
- dnhz 7y agoFor the record, I believe the added blood flow from aerobic exercise is the most important factor -- I have no citation though. Being in a car is certainly different from being directly in the environment, but it's still mentally demanding, akin to a video game perhaps. I don't think the brain is somehow specially stimulated by natural inputs, so isolation of the body from the natural environment via technology should not make that much of a difference. An experiment comparing treadmill running vs outside running (as mentioned in the article) would help determine to whether tasks like navigation and non-essential sensory stimuli like smelling the air contribute to BDNF levels. I'd be curious to see if there'd be a difference.
- SeanFerree 7y agoExcellent article!
- friendlybus 7y agoThe article or study is on to the beginning of something but it seems too light on causal links to be substantial. The effects of BDNF and other brain drugs have an entertaining defcon talk in the biohacking village. Cognitive enhancing drugs stuff looks ripe for exploration, though the side effects are concerning.
- starpilot 7y ago> For example, we recently showed that collegiate cross-country runners who train extensively on outdoor trails have increased connectivity among brain regions associated with executive cognitive functions compared with healthy but more sedentary young adults. I've definitely noticed a cognitive boost when I switched from gym weightlifting to cardio/endurance based on outdoors activities (trailrunning, strenuous hikes). The latter has given me an intense calm and mental space to work on problems that I did not get from weightlifting.
- SensateCreature 7y agoCould it simply be because of exercising providing much needed break from focusing on worries in one's life? If so, any activity that one can enter into a state of flow can be beneficial.
- honopu 7y agoIt's easy to say, but if you are focusing on what worries you, without doing anything to work toward or resolve what is worrying you, it's really just wasted mental energy. Once you can be honest with yourself about having done everything you possibly/reasonably can to mitigate whatever you are worrying about, then you can let it go.
- SensateCreature 7y agoDefinitely easier said than done. There is even a tendency to fool ourselves into thinking that we have broken free of it, whilst still having that feeling of worry simmering in the background.
- hombre_fatal 7y agoNo, the article's whole assertion is why exercise specifically causes these benefits. I don't know how "oh, maybe I just need to stop worrying about things to reap these same benefits and activate these same pathways" is a possible take-away from the article. Though it's tempting wishful thinking because it saves us from leaving our computer chair. "Maybe I can just enter a flow mode learning Elm/Rust instead of exercising!"
- didgeoridoo 7y agoFor more on this, check out “ Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by Dr. John Ratey.
- whalesalad 7y agoI came here to comment the same tip. Great book that goes deep into this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SFD21Q https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SFD21Q
- honopu 7y agoI do a stair climber, 2000 steps 5 days a week. I think this has a pretty good mix of cognitive and aerobic, I switch it up to skip steps, and stuff like that. I've not really noticed a huge change in energy, but resting heart rate etc have dropped considerably in the last year. I recommend a combo of this with a podcast to stave off the boredom. Mental clarity wise, I feel like your brain and body need the elevated heart rate etc, and this link seems to back it up.
- blackearl 7y agoKettlebells have gotten a very bro-ey reputation but there are some great exercises that are a good mix of cardio and mental focus. Regular swings can get boring but learning to do snatches was punishing, yet fun, while forcing me to pay attention to my technique. Would definitely recommend it.
- adamqureshi 7y agoI started doing kettlebelle swings. I got upto doing about 70 swings and follow it up with 40 sumo squats then 50 lifts. Takes me 12 min. The workout is incredible and does not take long and i can do it at home. Trying to improve my form without paying a coach. I watch you tube videos from that russian guy pavel.
- blackearl 7y agoI always had trouble with videos. Some of the nicer gyms near me do kettlebell classes, so that might be worth it as a more cost effective way to get a professional opinion. If you learn how to do a good get-up, it's one of the best full body workouts. 10-15 of those, 80-100 swings, and you're basically doing simple and sinister. My favorite part of it is I don't have to go for a run and I still get a great cardio workout!
- nradov 7y agoStair climbers are great, but most people get better long term results by cross training a mix of different activities. Doing the same exercise daily tends to cause unbalanced muscle development and a higher risk of overuse injuries.
- peter303 7y agoThere is a more interesting article in Scientific American and other places that humans evolved requiring an hour of vigorous exercise a day to avoid metabolic diseases like diabetes and dementia. Our closest relatives chimps and gorillas dont require vigorous exercise.
- markus_zhang 7y agoHate it! Hate it! Hate it...
- stevenwoo 7y agoThis article talks about this - it's the common hypothesis that switching to bipedal movement several million years ago is linked to the branching from our closest primate relatives, our diets changed to include hunting and a wider foraging range, hand in hand with changes in physiology for more movement and brain structure.
- throwaway_tech 7y ago>Less clear has been why physical activity affects the brain in the first place. I think the studies are looking at this backwards. Physical activity should probably be looked at as the natural state of humans and ask why lack of physical activity affects the brain. Then it probably makes a lot more sense, the brain is comprised of cells, just like muscles, that are either anabolic or catabolic. A lack of physical exercise is going to put all cells, including brain cells, in a catabolic state the same as muscle atrophy will waste away muscles due to lack of physical activity. Cells are cells, they are where energy is made, they are binary only existing in anabolic or catabolic states and never simultaneously existing in both states. Lack of exercise put the cells in catabolic states and long term catabolic states lead to metabolic/energy production problems in the cells. So naturally if you consider lack of exercise as the natural state of humans, sure it will appear physical activity improve brain function.
- mmmrtl 7y agoWhy do you consider anabolism/catabolism a binary classification? All living cells, and especially terminally differentiated ones like neurons will have a mixture of anabolic and catabolic metabolic processes taking place constantly, and there's not a straightforward reason to think that physical exercise is flipping some binary master switch that is "good" (by some arbitrary definition) for all cells.
- throwaway_tech 7y ago>and there's not a straightforward reason to think that physical exercise is flipping some binary master switch that is "good" (by some arbitrary definition) for all cells. Its not about a "master switch" turning on/off good/bad. The systems must work together to promote healthy metabolism of the cells/energy production. Catabolism and anabolism have separate metabolic pathways controlled by a distinct set of hormones. Anabolism and catabolism must be regulated to avoid the two processes occurring simultaneously. Each process has its own set of hormones that switch these processes on and off. Anabolic hormones include growth hormone, testosterone and estrogen. Catabolic hormones include adrenaline, cortisol and glucagon. More generally going back to the idea of muscle...you can't lift weights and gain muscle (i.e. grow) without also gaining fat. Growth can't be isolated to muscle cells, the entire body must be anabolic to grow, which means growth of fat cells too. Many people do not understand this basic point and will swear they put on muscle and lost body fat, it doesn't work that way growth is an all or nothing metabolic process. What can be done is you can add more muscle than fat, but you will be adding both. Or in the alternative you can't lose fat and not loss muscle, if you lose fat you are catabolic and you will loss muscle. Similarly it may be possible to loss more fat than muscle, but you will be losing both. Unless you have evidence to the contrary, in which case you would be sure to be an overnight billionaire, without any exogenous drugs/hormones, it is impossible to simultaneously grow muscle/lose fat.
- tus88 7y agoI think if you are a programmer you are working out every day.
- levythe 7y agoCare to elaborate? The connection is not clear to me. Fine movements of fingers and arms isn't exactly the same as intensive full body work.
- tus88 7y agoSome scumbag changed the title and makes my comment look wrong. The title was something about working out your brain.
- kissickas 7y agoNo need for "some scumbag" when "someone" will suffice. The original title was "Why Your Brain Needs Exercise" (the article title) which is highly misleading - looks like it fooled you too - so I agree with the change. I didn't read the article when I saw the first title, which I assumed was about solving sudokus or something along those lines, but I did click with the new title.
- newnewpdro 7y agoThis is something I've observed personally, especially with running and mountain biking. It had me pondering if perhaps humans evolved to become smarter in response to these frequent physical stressors. Like if we find ourselves regularly having to outrun predators and/or chasing prey to survive, it would probably be advantageous to grow smarter and depend less on endurance and speed. So I've been taking an attitude that exercise is a faux form of brute-force survival. That the body will respond both by becoming stronger and smarter, as long as it continues experiencing having to run miles regularly to survive.
- jp42 7y agoSimilar experience. Running clears my mind, improves cognitive capabilities, mental stamina and overall performance. Once I reached a "improved" state, then somehow I lose motivation to keep going until, I go back to state where I start feeling down or low on energy. This is going on for several years. I wonder why brain dont get motivated/incentivized to keep it going(running or physical activity) when its in "improved" state and why it has to reach "feeling down" state to get motivated again. Is it just me or others have similar experience?
- newnewpdro 7y agoSometimes I experience that, but my moods can be cyclic in general. This is one area where discipline and a routine really helps. Just force yourself out into the activity, it'll always feel better afterwards.
- eeZah7Ux 7y ago> regularly having to outrun predators and/or chasing prey to survive "regularly" never happened. We are not cheetahs nor gazelles. Most popular ideas around "hunters gatherers" are false. Australian aboriginals are a good example of how most of humans lived.
- newnewpdro 7y agoCitation needed. My understanding is a major evolutionary advantage humans enjoyed is the exceptional ability to pursue prey for sustained periods, effectively wearing them out, thanks to our excellent endurance and the sophistication necessary for pacing one self. If you weren't being smart about it, and sprinted like a scared deer, you'd exhaust yourself and fail. Well, perhaps that results in a mechanism of smarting up when we're over-exerting ourselves regularly.
- fasteo 7y ago>>> Cognitively challenging exercise may benefit the brain more than physical activity that makes fewer cognitive demand. This. I have noticed a significant mental “clearing” since I started boxing. Being forced to think when you are really tired is key.
- hollander 7y agoDancing is similar I guess, but less aggressive if people don't like boxing or fighting. Solo or with a partner or in a group, choose what you like.
- Cougher 7y agoBoxing/fighting seems to be pretty popular and I wonder about the head shots . . . how frequent and intense they may be in casual fighting. A lot is still unknown about the brain damage that can result from this kind of activity, particularly the subtle injuries that don't have an obvious single cause. I think the effects are a lot worse than most people think and it's NOT worth it.
- fasteo 7y agoI guess it really depends how the trainer organize his classes. In my case, my trainer is a former European champion, he knows the potential danger and he really cares about us. We use head protection, he pairs us wisely to avoid accidental injuries, sparring is optional, and 75% of our time is shadow boxing, heavy bag training and padding. So, we end up doing 3-4 rounds of sparring per week. I may get a couple of soft jabs in my head.
- Cougher 7y agoLike so many things, it's wise to evaluate the people who are teaching and the methods that they use. I toyed with the idea, but I decided against it because of my shoulders.
- markus_zhang 7y agoTBH I really hate physical activity, but I have to do it to keep healthy :(
- Copenjin 7y agoYou just need to find something that fits you definition of fun, I'd try different activities :)
- folli 7y agoThen you should do some mental activity to find a physical activity that you like.
- markus_zhang 7y agoI pretty much hate everything that is easily accessible...swimming is OK but TBH I prefer reading books or coding side projects. I purchased boxing classes and will try it out with a friend. I think some people just despise physical activities, like there are a lot of people who just refuse to think.
- foobar_fighter 7y agoBe careful with boxing - taking hits to the head is very bad for brain health.
- Nimitz14 7y agoHe's obviously taking fitness [boxing] classes and will not actually be sparring anyone.
- vbezhenar 7y agoYep, that's me. Hated physical activities since my childhood. I was naturally bad at it, so I was dead weight in any kind of competitive play which further increased my hate for any kind of sport. Still can't force myself to go outdoors and prefer to stay home for days, but that's really bad for health and for cognitive functions, so will have to find some way.
- deevolution 7y agoIf you're like me an dread the monotony of working out give climbing a try! Every climb is different which keeps the workout fresh and exciting and it works out every core muscle group.
- useful 7y agoClimbing reduces cortisol (stress hormone) by producing testosterone. I also think fear makes you forget about everything but the problem and grounds you in what matters in life (usually not work). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20963437 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20963437
- partyboat1586 7y agoI wonder what it is about climbing specifically that causes this or if it you could get the same effect from say soccer.
- scarecrowbob 7y agoI can't say for sure, but having played other sports and also spent a lot of time climbing I don't think that I've experienced the same flavor of focus on the basketball court or in a flow-state while mountain biking. I feel like there is a different and very high-quality kind of focus that comes from having to perform correctly or die.
- viburnum 7y agoIs there a scientific way to distinguish evolutionary biology from bourgeois ideology?
- Gatsky 7y agoI was waiting for the sedentary left to show up.
- viburnum 7y agoWe never log off.
- eeZah7Ux 7y agoI'm not sure about what you mean but a lot of completely made up "popular science" seems to be easily sold as evolutionary science. "Some people have longer ears than others. Maybe they were better able to hear predators and avoid them and therefore theirs genes spread further..."
- viburnum 7y agoYeah, so much of it is made up just so stories, and those stories usually flatter the ruling class. It’s fashionable for CEOs to work out, so of course there’s a story about how it’s evolutionary biology reason that makes people smarter or whatever. That article was pretty short on experimental evidence.
- Der_Einzige 7y agoLast I checked, Socialists were the ones who tried extremely hard to get everyone to be physically active. It was the Machismo Cuban Revolutionary who fought and won against decadent bourgeois ideology. Not the Sedentary Cuban Revolutionary...
- 0xcde4c3db 7y agoI think it's more complicated than an association with any single broad ideological category. For instance, fascists tend to be very big on promoting physical fitness, presumably because it's a natural nexus between the obsessions with vitality and militarism.
- tchingy 7y agoThe tendency to compartmentalize mind and body never made sense to me. The brain is adapted to navigating the physical world, so it should be unsurprising that physical exercise is a prerequisite to proper functioning. Why else would the "memory palace" be a thing? If our memory/perception is inherently spatial, then it relies on a privileged observer capable of interacting with its environment. The rest of the nervous system is basically just feeding you training data when you exercise.
- vezycash 7y agoIf I understood the article properly, then: PLAY - Playing a physical game like tag, catch, soccer, volley ball, hide and seek... provides both physical exercise and cognitive / social stimulation because of group play's dynamic nature. This next bit might not be useful. In college, the distance from my apartment to school was 15 - 20 minutes. And I took to the habit of listening to audio books on my ride (traffic was low so it was relatively safe). I noticed that if I listened to a track while riding, I would remember exactly where I was the next time I listened to the track. (The track reminded me of the location, rather than the location reminded me of the track.)
- austin_y 7y ago> I noticed that if I listened to a track while riding, I would remember exactly where I was the next time I listened to the track. I experienced the same thing recently by listening to a book on my drive to/from work! I often listened to sections of the book a second time to catch things I missed, or to help ideas sink in, and found that I could often clearly picture the stretch of road on which I heard a passage.
- ctrlaltdylan 7y agoI'd love to know if there's an above average tendency for those interested or working in the technology field also have a history with endurance related sports. I know a lot of really talented developers that are into biking/hiking/running.
- sjy 7y agoI guess many of those sports are easily quantified, enhanced using technology (eg. bike computers, maps, running apps), and accessible without the need to be part of a larger social group.
- paimpozhil 7y agoBadminton is a great sport that requires lot of thinking and very fast movements and physical strength . I wish more people start playing that