Motorcycles help keep you young

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Viking · #1 Post by **Viking** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:33 pm

Morning all,

According to this newspaper article, riding motorcycles helps keep you young.

The newspaper wrote:Riding motorcycles helps keep drivers young by invigorating their brains, the scientist behind popular "Brain Training" computer software said Wednesday, citing a new scientific study.

"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 warned. "Our final conclusion is that riding motorcycles can lead to smart ageing."

Kawashima is the designer of "Brain Training" software, which incorporates quizzes and other games and is available on the Nintendo DS game console under the name "Brain Age" in North America.

A self-professed motorcycle fan, 49-year-old Kawashima cited a new study conducted jointly by Yamaha and Tohoku University, for which he works.

One experiment involved 22 men, all in their 40s and 50s, who held motorcycle licences but had not taken a ride for at least a decade.

They were randomly split into two groups -- one asked to resume riding motorcycles in everyday life for two months, and another that kept using bicycles or cars.

"The group that rode motorbikes posted higher marks in cognitive function tests," Kawashima said.

In one test, which required the men to remember a set of numbers in reverse order, the riders' scores jumped by more than 50 percent in two months, while the non-riders' marks deteriorated slightly, he said.

The riders also said they made fewer mistakes at work and felt happier.

"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."

HowardQ · #2 Post by **HowardQ** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:10 pm

Yeh, I'll agree with that, it certainly keeps me feeling younger.
Then again I'm an Old Git!

D-Rider · #3 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:47 am

Yeah - MCN also ran that story a few months back.

A far better Brain Training device than a Nintendo DS !

BikerGran · #4 Post by **BikerGran** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:00 pm

They didn't test any females?

D-Rider · #5 Post by **D-Rider** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:07 am

BikerGran wrote:They didn't test any females?

Do females actually ride bikes then?

....... runs and hides ...........

fastasfcuk · #6 Post by **fastasfcuk** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:24 am

side saddle i think.

snapdragon · #7 Post by **snapdragon** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:41 pm

BikerGran wrote:They didn't test any females?

perhaps it's only men who's brains atrophy while sitting in cars

BikerGran · #8 Post by **BikerGran** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:22 pm

True, after all the poor things can't multitask either.

Chabby · #9 Post by **Chabby** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 5:48 pm

Dunno about this...............rode home after nightshift the other morning and coudn't remember which way I'd come back when the wife asked.

Lot to be said for autopilot mode!