Crystallised intelligence is demonstrated by better language and reasoning skills.
Sitting down is not all bad: people who spend more time sitting score higher on tests of crystallised intelligence, research shows.
Crystallised intelligence is demonstrated by better language and reasoning skills.
It refers to the type of intelligence that comes from knowledge and experience that tends to come with age.
However, people who do more exercise boost their fluid intelligence.
Fluid intelligence refers to the speed at which the brain works.
It is like the raw power of an engine or the speed at which a computer can process information.
The conclusions come from a study that looked at how different levels of physical activity are linked to cognitive health.
Dr Agnieszka Burzynska, the study’s first author, said:
“We know that as we grow older, even if we do not have any cognitive impairments, people aged 60 and up already show some decreases in speed, executive functioning, and memory.
Those decreases are totally within a normal range, but this study was looking to understand how our behaviors and habits may correlate with cognitive outcomes in older age.”
For the study, 228 older people’s daily activity was measured.
People are often sat down each day for longer than they think said Dr Burzynska:
“If you ask, ‘How long did you sit today?’ people will perhaps say 2 to 3 hours when the reality is more like 6 to 8 hours.”
Cognitive tests revealed that people who sat more tended to do better on knowledge and reading tests.
Those that exercised more, though, did better on memory and problem-solving tests that require a ‘faster’ brain.
Light physical activities like housework cooking and laundry had little effect on people’s cognition — it was moderate-to-vigorous activities that worked.
Dr Burzynska said:
“There’s this big push within health and wellness that sitting is always bad for your body, that being a couch potato is not good, and although our earlier studies indicated that the brains of those who spend more time sitting may age faster, it seems that on the cognitive level, sitting time may also be meaningful.”
Sitting time may be beneficial as long as it is used to stimulate the brain: such as by reading, playing games or doing something educational or mentally invigorating.
Dr Burzynska said:
“I don’t think I would in any way suggest that we should engage in more sitting, but I think trying to be as physically active as possible and making sure that you get stimulated in your sedentary time — that it’s not just spent staring at the TV — that this combination might be the best way to take care of your brain.
I hope it sends some positive message for those of us who have had limited opportunities to exercise during the pandemic.”
Dr Burzynska added:
“When you exercise, enjoy your exercise. Maybe sometimes think, ‘Yeah I’m going to go sit now and enjoy a really good book’.”
The study was published in the journal Psychology and Aging (Burzynska et al., 2020).
