Why exercise boosts IQ

If you want your mind to be sharper, the evidence suggests you should visit the gym. But how can exercising your muscles boost your brain power?

如果你希望自己的大脑更敏锐，证据证明，经常去健身房就可以达到目的。但为何锻炼肌肉会提高你的大脑能力呢？

We tend to assume that brains don’t go with brawn – but that assumption is turning out to be seriously flawed. As the latest video from the Head Squeeze team shows, exercising the body is one of the best ways to boost your intelligence and preserve it through old age.

我们一般都认为大脑和肌肉不成正比——但是这种想法其实并不正确。Head Squeeze团队最新的视频证明，锻炼身体是提升智力并能长久保持的最佳方式之一。

Consider this: one German study found that older people who enjoy mild exercise – such as gardening – are half as likely to suffer from cognitive impairment as they age. Another experiment found that pensioners asked to take a leisurely walk a few times a week scored better on attention and memory tests. But it’s not just older people: children who walk to school tend to concentrate better and get better test results than those given lifts in the car.

看一下下面这个案例：德国一项调查发现倾向于温和运动，比如侍弄花草的老年人随着年龄的增产会有一些认知障碍。另一项实验发现那些每周都散步的服刑人员在注意力和记忆力测试中表现更优秀。但并不是只有老年人才这样：自己步行去上学的小孩与坐车去上学的孩子相比，注意力更集中、在测试中分数也更高。

One possible reason is that the exercise boosts the blood (and therefore oxygen) supply to the brain – which helps give it the energy to think. It might also promote the growth of neurons and perhaps encourage the release of certain neurotransmitters and growth hormones that are crucial to the brain’s overall health. All of which could contribute to better concentration and memory.

这可能是因为锻炼可以促进大脑的供血量（供氧量也就增多）——这就让大脑有更多能量来思考。同时这或许会促进神经元的成长，或促进身体释放特定神经传导物质以及生长激素，这些对大脑的整体健康都是非常重要的。所有这些都可以帮助提高注意力和记忆力。

In the future, some researchers are looking into specially designed “exergames” that incorporate physical activity with cognitive training to give your brain the best possible workout; early results suggest that the sum is greater than the individual parts. In the meantime, the work should at least give you one more reason not to put off that visit to the gym.

一些研究人员正在研究特制的“锻炼游戏”，将身体锻炼和认知训练相结合，以给大脑最好的锻炼；早期结果证明结合训练的效果优于单独训练。同时这个研究至少可以再多给你一个去健身房的理由。

完成阅读

来源:英语新闻网站爱语吧作者:孙梦光