Many athletes talk about the “runners high,” the feeling of euphoria that they get after a run or an intense workout.
Does physical exercise actually have real biochemical effects on the brain?
The New York Times wrote about a study which found that more endorphins are released into the brain during demanding, endurance exercise. Endorphins are the brain’s naturally occurring opiates.
It’s true.
Dr. Henning Boecker of the University of Bonn in Germany, reports in the current issue of the journal Cerebral Cortex that it is true: Running elicits a flood of endorphins in the brain. The endorphins are associated with mood changes, and the more endorphins a runner’s body pumps out, the greater the effect.
Dr. Boecker and colleagues recruited ten distance runners, using PET scans to compare runners’ brains before and after a long run. The data showed that, indeed, endorphins were produced during running and were attaching themselves to areas of the brain associated with emotions, in particular the limbic and prefrontal areas.
The limbic and prefrontal areas, Dr. Boecker said, are activated when people are involved in romantic love affairs for example. The more endorphins in their brain, the greater the euphoria the runners reported.
That explains why runners love to run.
It’s amazing. You see runners out in the freezing cold, the rain, the snow. Nothing stops them.
In the meantime, excuse me, but I need to go for a run. See ya in a couple of hours, dude.
There’s more details of his study here.
If you can’t get out for a run right now, maybe a casual, brain stimulating game will release some endorphins. Can’t guarantee it but it can’t hurt either. Here’s our web site: braingamessoftware.com
Share this post:
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
