3 ms·

This was mentioned before, but the explanation is very simple - walking gets your brain flushed with blood, making you think clearer. That's all there is to it.

by papito 5y ago

This was mentioned before, but the explanation is very simple - walking gets your brain flushed with blood, making you think clearer. That's all there is to it. To take it further, recent studies suggest that exercise more strenuous than just walking makes you better at dealing with uncomfortable decisions and situations (as exercise forces you to power through discomfort). https://www.thecut.com/2016/06/how-exercise-shapes-you-far-beyond-the-gym.html https://www.thecut.com/2016/06/how-exercise-shapes-you-far-b...

rramadass 5y ago
Good point. I think we need to be careful in recognizing that strenuous exercise does not enable us to make better considered decisions. It is gentle rhythmic exercise (eg. Walking, Tai-chi etc.) which does not tire out the body that is so important for brain health and better decision making.
- sweuder 5y ago
  > I think we need to be careful in recognizing that strenuous exercise does not enable us to make better considered decisions. What? Is there any evidence to support this statement? I know I (personally, anecdotally) am a way calmer, more rational and reasonable decision maker after bouts of intense exercise. - Heavy lifting sessions, hard sports training, etc.
  - rramadass 5y ago
    Note that i used the phrase "better considered decisions" which is not the same as making a "quick decision". Decision making is improved during Walking while you need some variable time after Strenuous Exercise when your Arousal state has calmed down to make better decisions. The Inverted U Hypothesis (aka Yerkes-Dodson law - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerkes%E2%80%93Dodson_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerkes%E2%80%93Dodson_law) and https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/inverted-u.htm https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/inverted-u.htm was the first to posit the relationship between Arousal and Performance. However there are lots of nuances to this. The important one is Cue Utilization Theory (https://www.elitetrack.com/blogs-details-7362/ https://www.elitetrack.com/blogs-details-7362/ and https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/sports-psychology/perception-in-sport/%D1%81ue-utilization-theory/ https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/sports-psychology/percep...) which is relevant for decision making. Coming to Exercise Intensity and Decision Making you may find the following papers helpful for some empirical data. * Influence of exercise intensity on the decision-making performance of experienced and inexperienced soccer players - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19454768/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19454768/ and Fontana's thesis at https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/12206332.pdf https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/12206332.pdf * Effect of Exercise Intensity Level on Choice Reaction Time - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2466/11.03.CP.4.3 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2466/11.03.CP.4.3 PS: I have linked to two relevant books in another post of mine in this thread which you may find useful.

by papito 5y ago

rramadass 5y ago

Good point. I think we need to be careful in recognizing that strenuous exercise does not enable us to make better considered decisions. It is gentle rhythmic exercise (eg. Walking, Tai-chi etc.) which does not tire out the body that is so important for brain health and better decision making.

sweuder 5y ago
> I think we need to be careful in recognizing that strenuous exercise does not enable us to make better considered decisions. What? Is there any evidence to support this statement? I know I (personally, anecdotally) am a way calmer, more rational and reasonable decision maker after bouts of intense exercise. - Heavy lifting sessions, hard sports training, etc.
- rramadass 5y ago
  Note that i used the phrase "better considered decisions" which is not the same as making a "quick decision". Decision making is improved during Walking while you need some variable time after Strenuous Exercise when your Arousal state has calmed down to make better decisions. The Inverted U Hypothesis (aka Yerkes-Dodson law - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerkes%E2%80%93Dodson_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerkes%E2%80%93Dodson_law) and https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/inverted-u.htm https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/inverted-u.htm was the first to posit the relationship between Arousal and Performance. However there are lots of nuances to this. The important one is Cue Utilization Theory (https://www.elitetrack.com/blogs-details-7362/ https://www.elitetrack.com/blogs-details-7362/ and https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/sports-psychology/perception-in-sport/%D1%81ue-utilization-theory/ https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/sports-psychology/percep...) which is relevant for decision making. Coming to Exercise Intensity and Decision Making you may find the following papers helpful for some empirical data. * Influence of exercise intensity on the decision-making performance of experienced and inexperienced soccer players - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19454768/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19454768/ and Fontana's thesis at https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/12206332.pdf https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/12206332.pdf * Effect of Exercise Intensity Level on Choice Reaction Time - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2466/11.03.CP.4.3 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2466/11.03.CP.4.3 PS: I have linked to two relevant books in another post of mine in this thread which you may find useful.