Researchers recently conducted a study titled Benefits of Human Moderate Running Boosting Mood and Executive Function Coinciding With Bilateral Prefrontal Organization. They published it in the Scientists Reports journal. The study relayed the benefits of jogging.
The study that jogging for about 10 minutes at moderate intensity could improve self-control, thinking flexibility, memory, mental skills, and mood.
According to the Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Sport Neuroscience’s Director and lead study author at the University of Tsukuba Japan, Hideaki Soya, it takes at least ten minutes of exercise to induce cognitive and emotional improvements.
Soya adds that the lab evaluates how exercise can lower stress and activate the brain. In addition, running is a high-gain low-cost activity. Soya explains that these findings support the mental improvements caused by moderate running. Moderate running is an ideal activity for most people since it uses fewer sports structures and equipment.
How researchers conducted the study
The researchers gathered 26 young adults without a history of psychiatric and neurological disorders. They split the volunteers into a control and experimental group. Researchers then conducted a ten-minute run and rest session on a treadmill.
After the experiment, the researchers tested the participants’ moods through a Two-Dimensional Mood Scale. Researchers also measured their executive function. They found that the group that ran for ten minutes had better moods and cognitive performances.
Researchers also discovered that the blood flow in the brain improved after running, especially in the bilateral prefrontal cortex. This region of the brain is responsible for executive functions and mood control.
Running has played a role in the evolution of humans
The researchers described this occurrence as neurovascular coupling. Unfortunately, they are not sure why it happens. They speculate that it provided an evolutionary advantage for hunter-gatherers who were frequently in motion. This study shows that running might have had a significant role in evolution.
Scientists have long known that physical activity could enhance mood. However, most studies have been based around cycling instead of running.
Professor Soya hypothesized that the executive control needed to coordinate, propulsion, movement, and balance when running shows heightened neuronal activity in the bilateral prefrontal cortex and other brain areas that could benefit from the extra resources.
