Students are often looking for new tricks
to improve their performance and make the study less burdensome. Now,
some psychologists from the University of Illinois come to our aid with a
suggestion: walk by step
quick can help improve memory considerably.
involved several students by asking them to memorize a total of 30
nouns. Before studying nouns some of them had to do one
brisk walking for about ten minutes; they were told to walk
at such a pace as if they had to catch up, but without feeling in
anxiety about lost time. Others simply had to sit for
about ten minutes before being summoned for the test. At the end of the experiment, it was possible to appreciate
that those who had taken the walk showed that they had a better memory,
to the point that he remembered 25% more words than those who stayed
sitting. Later the experiment was repeated, but this one
time with a small difference: the walk was done after studying
and before being summoned for the exam. This time they did not meet
significant differences between those who went out to walk and those who stayed
sitting. This could indicate that walking quickly would not favor the
I remember but it would rather act as a "preparatory" factor in the brain
promoting learning. It should be emphasized that this study is not the only one in the
which one attempts to relate learning and physical activity. A
of previous research, perhaps the most curious, is the one in which they are
analyzed the benefits of chewing gum on memory. But… why walking can improve memory e
enhance learning? When the participants were asked how they felt,
obviously, those who had walked reported having experienced a major
level of excitement and attention compared to those who remained seated. THE
voltage levels were the same for both. Although the researchers
do not offer a conclusive explanation, it is hypothesized that the increase in memory
depends on the effects of physical exercise on the body, on improvement
of blood circulation in the brain and the increase in levels of
norepinephrine, serotonin and endorphins. For this reason, probably,
chewing gum very quickly could also have positive effects on
memory and even reduce stress.
