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This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

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Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#11

Post by Emma_Goldman »

jraby3 wrote: post #5
Emma_Goldman wrote: post #2

Difficult to put the long and emphatic list of cognitive enhancements together with the penultimate paragraph: 'You shouldn’t expect to increase your IQ or anything of that nature.' If I can't expect even a 1% rise in intelligence, what am I really achieving cognitively?

Throughout the article they did mention improved working memory, focus, and a host of other benefits. Maybe IQ isn’t the best measure of these benefits.

You may be right. But all of the suggested benefits seem like they should effect intelligence:

  - Higher frequency brain waves increase 'attention, memory, and information processing'

  - A heightened visual cortex increases our ability to pick out features in our environment

  - Restocking neurotransmitters to optimal levels

  - Healthier blood vessels improve working memory

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#12

Post by Tenoke »

wjnc wrote: post #8
reacharavindh wrote: post #7

I havent read the papers quoted in the article. But, I'm a little puzzled reading this.. It sounds more like interpreting what they want to see or think is happening. > Aerobic exercise appears to lead to changes in both the structure of the brain and the way it operates, which together bolster learning in kids, give adults an edge on cognitive tasks, and protect against the cognitive declines that often come with ag…

My reading is the following. Say my IQ is pretty constant. As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. A few rough nights and I'm in a worse state for days. Let's say exercise usually is correlated with better sleep, better cardiovascular operation etc. and also the other way around (I train less when tired). Then I can easily follow better performance after trai…

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game.

Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#13

Post by canofbars »

Emma_Goldman wrote: post #2

Difficult to put the long and emphatic list of cognitive enhancements together with the penultimate paragraph: 'You shouldn’t expect to increase your IQ or anything of that nature.' If I can't expect even a 1% rise in intelligence, what am I really achieving cognitively?

My anecdotal data is I am able to focus better after riding a bike to work. I may not be any smarter but I can still get useful work done for longer.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#14

Post by abledon »

Emma_Goldman wrote: post #11
jraby3 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Throughout the article they did mention improved working memory, focus, and a host of other benefits. Maybe IQ isn’t the best measure of these benefits.

You may be right. But all of the suggested benefits seem like they should effect intelligence: - Higher frequency brain waves increase 'attention, memory, and information processing' - A heightened visual cortex increases our ability to pick out features in our environment - Restocking neurotransmitters to optimal levels - Healthier blood vessels improve working memory

these are all forms of 'intelligence' in a piece of life. I say if our body has transformed its blood vessels into a more 'healthier' state then the overall organism is operating more intelligently. Just not the type of intelligence associated with analyzing our external environment.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#15

Post by myle »

Tenoke wrote: post #12
wjnc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My reading is the following. Say my IQ is pretty constant. As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. A few rough nights and I'm in a worse state for days. Let's say exercise usually is correlated with better sleep, better cardiovascular operation etc. and also the other way around (I train less when tired). Then I can easily follow better performance after trai…

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

Grandparent didn't claim that bad sleep patterns occur only to parents. He claimed that all parents have experienced bad sleeping patterns.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#16

Post by Tenoke »

myle wrote: post #15
Tenoke wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

Grandparent didn't claim that bad sleep patterns occur only to parents. He claimed that all parents have experienced bad sleeping patterns.

I said imply, not claim.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#17

Post by wjnc »

Tenoke wrote: post #12
wjnc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My reading is the following. Say my IQ is pretty constant. As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. A few rough nights and I'm in a worse state for days. Let's say exercise usually is correlated with better sleep, better cardiovascular operation etc. and also the other way around (I train less when tired). Then I can easily follow better performance after trai…

>As any father can attest to, there are a lot of factors influencing whether I'm on top of my game. Off-topic but I really don't understand why so many parents like to imply that only/mainly they know/experience things that are common to everyone.

That was only example from my life. Other episodes with the same outcome were too much partying in college, sleep deprivation because cool when a teen. I guess we all have examples where we are totally outside a normal balanced state of mind with detrimental effects to our mental well-being!

My point was more generally that in person IQ is constant but life factors and choices can lead to sub-optimal outcomes intelligence wise.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#18

Post by your-nanny »

Exercise is good, but that article annoyed me. It noted various exercise induced changes in the brain and behavior--increased sensitivity to stimuli, increased neurogenesis, more connectivity, etc-- without actually saying why those things are good. increased connectivity between brain regions doesn't have to be good, and you can be too sensitive and alert to stimuli

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#19

Post by jimmy1 »

lgvln wrote: post #9

My takeaway from the article and from other studies is that exercise improves the condition of your brain, allowing one to be more efficient at what they are doing. Something that the article didn't state is that exercise has a positive impact on the creation of new neurons on the brain. The idea that we're born with a limited number of brain cells has been debunked. An analogy would be going to the gym might not mak…

> exercise has a positive impact on the creation of new neurons on the brain. The idea that we're born with a limited number of brain cells has been debunked.

I'm not being a typical HN'er, I am legitimately curious, do you have some good sources that describe this? My current understanding is that new neurons aren't so easily formed because your brain is actually so efficient, it will simply form new pathways between existing neurons to do the same thing it once did with lost or damaged neurons. Would like to know that this is incorrect or not.

Re: This is Your Brain on Exercise (2017)

#20

Post by ahartmetz »

Emma_Goldman wrote: post #2

Difficult to put the long and emphatic list of cognitive enhancements together with the penultimate paragraph: 'You shouldn’t expect to increase your IQ or anything of that nature.' If I can't expect even a 1% rise in intelligence, what am I really achieving cognitively?

I find that exercise helps me get out of analysis paralysis when writing software and just do something. Sometimes exercise also helps me disengage and later re-engage from a different direction. In that sense it's similar to taking a shower but it takes longer and the physical effort itself also changes thinking. The world does look different when you're pushing your body hard, as if fighting for your life.

I do strength then endurance - the two somewhat cancel out but I like doing it that way and my goal isn't to win any competitions.

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