Running is arguably one of the easiest ways to benefit from physical exercise because it is both cheap and accessible. Running improves cardiovascular health, strengthens muscles, and improves bone strength. In addition to these physical benefits, running is associated with improved mental health.
A team of scientists at the University of Tsukuba in Japan recently completed a small-scale study that showed that only 10 minutes of moderate intensity running improves both mood and executive processing.
Brain imaging showed that running increased local blood flow to various parts of the prefrontal cortex after the session compared with not running. The prefrontal cortex plays an important role in controlling mood and executive functions.
The results of the study appear in the journal Scientific Reports.
The brain must process large amounts of sensory information to coordinate the movement of running while keeping the body balanced. Perhaps for this reason, research has shown that the prefrontal cortex becomes activated during running.
“Based on previous studies, including our own,” they continued, “physical exercise has been revealed to increase executive function by predominantly activating the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is a brain locus implicated in inhibitory and mood control, without reporting change of pleasant mood.”
Only 26 participants took part in the study. A small number of participants makes it harder to draw conclusions about the wider population from the results.
Also, it is important to note that the mood scale is self-reported and, therefore, open to bias. People might not always give answers that are completely accurate — either because they do not know or because they want to make a good impression. (Medical News Today)
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