The first results of the dependence of intellectual development and physical activities were obtained during experiments on rats. The essence of the experiments was that the experimental animals were divided into four groups with different living conditions. In the first group there were toys and a running wheel. The second one had toys, but there were no wheels for running. The third had no bright toys, no running wheels. And the latter had only a running wheel and a few simple toys.
Before the start of the experiment, a number of intelligence tests were conducted with rats. After the experiments with the same rats were completed, exactly the same tests were carried out and the results showed that the highest level was in those rats in whose cages there were practically no toys, but there was a running wheel.
Sport is one of the elements that improve brain activity.
That is, a large number of beautiful and bright toys that help develop tactile and taste sensations, as well as sense of smell and hearing, do not affect brain activity as well as physical exercise. But these experiments concerned only animals.
Previously, it was believed that a person was born with a certain number of neurons, and their number remains unchanged until the end of life. Recent studies have shown that new cells are still formed in the brain, and most of them originate in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for the formation of emotions and the transition of short-term memory into long-term memory. In the same part of the brain, the formation of new cells was observed in rats and mice that ran in a wheel.
But this does not mean at all that if you start actively running, you will become much smarter. New cells that are formed as a result of physical activity remain uninvolved in the general neural network and, in fact, are pacifiers. In order for the cell to start functioning fully, you need to add a charge for the body and a charge for the mind.
Moreover, neurons formed by physical activity are more nimble and multitasking. While some cells, given to us from birth, are often responsible for a single mechanism.
In addition, it turned out that new neurons are born only due to a certain type of load. Another experiment was conducted with two groups of elderly people. One group was engaged in walking, and the second in stretching. As a result, those who were engaged in stretching continued to regress according to the standard scheme. And those who were engaged in walking, literally rejuvenated their brains. 65-year-olds have reached the level of brain activity that is standard for 63 years. That is, their brains have become «younger» by two years.
You are more likely to be smarter than your colleagues if you run at least a few times a week, attend dance or aerobic classes, or take daily walks.
Of course, these mechanisms have not yet been fully studied and a huge number of other factors affecting the state of our brain throughout life have not yet been taken into account. But there is no doubt that sport is one of the elements that improve brain activity. To do this, you just need to compare those who combine an active lifestyle with intellectual work, with those who do not detach themselves from chairs and monitors.
It seems to me that motivation «Go in for sports and become smarter » for some people will work much better than just the promise of slimness or muscularity ;)
