William Blake did it dreamily, as if from outside, Sigmund Freud did it lazily, and Albert Einstein almost fanatically. Of all our activities, none so affects our mental abilities as walking. However, as scientists have recently found out, it is important exactly how we walk: for example, a leisurely rhythm is unlikely to help us come – in all senses – to a brilliant conclusion.
It turns out that there is a direct relationship between the pace of walking and the speed at which our brain processes information and generates new ideas. Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina recently came to this conclusion after analyzing the results of a series of experiments. The researchers involved several hundred middle-aged people, studied the speed at which they walk, and compared these data with physical and physiological indicators, as well as with the mental abilities of the subjects.
The fact that our walking style is related to the functioning of the central nervous system was known before, but new data have allowed American scientists to talk about using such tests to detect early signs of dementia.
But back to the relationship between walking and intelligence. It turned out that the difference in IQ between the fastest and slowest participants at the age of 45 was 16 points. Moreover, both the natural rate of movement for the subjects and the maximum speed that they could develop at the request of the researchers were measured.
The physical indicators of slow participants: the force of gripping an object with a hand, hand-eye coordination – also differed for the worse, as well as health indicators (the state of the lungs, teeth and immune system).
Toddlers with lower IQs and linguistic abilities grew up to be slower adults
Scientists argue that the relationship between walking pace, brain abilities and health may be explained by genetic factors. So, by improving the health of the brain, you can influence the physical condition and, as a result, increase the pace of walking.
Interestingly, according to the head of the research team, Line Rasmussen, this is the first time an experiment of this kind has been carried out on relatively young subjects – usually representatives of older age groups participate in them.
The study involved 904 men and women from New Zealand – scientists have been monitoring their health status since the age of three. Each year, the participants took numerous tests, the final of which took place when they were 45. The researchers found that babies with lower IQ scores, linguistic abilities, motor skills, frustration tolerance and poor emotional control grew up to be slower adults.
An MRI study found that slow subjects had less total brain area and cortical density, and were generally “older” brains. This is also reflected in their appearance: such participants look older – so, in any case, those who estimated the age of the subjects from the photo thought so.
Scientists say that all this may be a consequence of the chosen lifestyle, but the reverse may also be true. Scientists have yet to draw the final points on this issue, but each of us can draw useful conclusions for ourselves right now.