According to the Associated Press, a study conducted by the scientist behind popular "Brain Training" computer software, Ryuta Kawashima, in collaboration with Yamaha and Tohoku University, shows that driving a motorcycle can maintain people's brains fit.
"The driver's brain gets activated by riding motorbikes" in part because it requires heightened alertness, Ryuta Kawashima said after his research team and Yamaha Motor conducted a string of experiments involving middle-aged men.
"In a convenient and easy environment, the human mind and body get used to setting the hurdle low," he explained. "Our final conclusion is that riding motorcycles can lead to smart aging."
The experiment was made on 22 men in their 40s or 50s who had motorbike licenses but who had not been riding for the past 10 years. The scientist separated them in two groups. One group was asked to ride motorbikes everyday for two months, while the other used bicycles or cars for transportation.
After the experimental period was over, the groups were given cognitive function tests to see whether there has been any difference between them. The results were astonishing. For instance, in one test, they were asked to remember a set of numbers in reverse order and the group which has been riding motorbikes for two months recorded scores by more than 50 percent, while the other group performed very poorly.
"The group that rode motorbikes posted higher marks in cognitive function tests," Kawashima said. "Mental care is a very big issue in modern society," said Kawashima. "I think we made an interesting stir here as data showed you can improve your mental condition simply by using motorbikes to commute."
More importantly, the motorbike riders confessed they have made fewer mistakes at work during that period and that they were feeling happier.
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