These sports activities can boost cognitive performance
Sport strengthens not only the body but also the Psyche. However, not every sports promises to the same effect. Researchers from the universities of Basel and Tsukuba have now checked what sporting activity the cognitive power affects how strong. They found out which Sport is best to also stay mentally fit. The study and the resulting recommendations were published in the scientific magazine “Nature and Human Behaviour”.
“Physical activity can improve mental performance (;), however, the effects between men and women, and not every sports are different promises to the same effect,“ report the researchers, in a communication of the University of Basel. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of existing studies, the research team led by Dr. Sebastian Ludyga, and Professor Uwe Pühse from the University of Basel has therefore reviewed, what are the effects of different sport activities have on the Psyche of a man and a woman.
80 individual studies evaluated
Sport is generally considered to be healthy, but there are a lot of different sports and very different forms of training. The researchers asked themselves the question, what type and what dose of physical activity, the spirit of best fit. A total of 80 individual studies evaluated in relation to these issues, and deduced recommendations – for men and women.
Coordinatively demanding sports ideal
The results of the researchers suggest that both endurance training as well as strength training or a mixture of these components seem to improve cognitive performance. However, a significantly stronger effect demanding sports develop coordination of the complex movements and interactions with other game require players.
More sports equal to better mental health?
To call “in sports, coordinative, seems to be even more important than the total amount of physical activity,” says Dr. Ludyga. Furthermore, a higher overall volume of Sport lead not necessarily to a greater effectiveness for the mental Fitness. The effect on cognitive performance increases only if over a longer period, a longer duration of time per sport will be complied with unit.
Similar effect in all age groups
Although it is generally assumed that the mental performance changed in the course of life and large potential for improvements in Childhood (cognitive development phase) and in old age (cognitive degradation phase) is. However, the researchers in the current study, “no evidence for different effects of physical activity in different age groups”, the communication of the University of Basel.
Common sports activities for young and old
Accordingly, the sports activities from primary school age up to senior age must not be designed in a fundamentally different way, in order to strengthen cognitive performance, reports the researchers. This also meant that different age classes can be conducted for a common goal in sports together. “Certain aspects of the already common sports offered for children and their grandparents is implemented,” says Prof. Pühse. An Expansion of these offerings would be easy to imagine.
Men benefit more from Training hard
Furthermore, the research team found that the same dose of physical activity in men and women acts differently on the mental Fitness. “Differences between the sexes were primarily in the intensity of the movement, but not for the sports,” stress the researchers. Men benefit, according to more intense athletic activity.
Extremely intense exercise in women counterproductive?
A hard Workout can seem for men to be worth, and a gradual increase in the intensity over a longer period of time have led them to a significantly greater improvement in cognitive performance, reported the research team. In contrast, remain in girls and women, the positive effect on cognitive performance in a rapid increase in the sporty intensity entirely. This suggests, “that female sports should choose driving more of a sporting activity with a low to medium intensity, if you want to improve your cognitive Fitness”, the conclusion of the research group. (fp)