'STOP': Driving for more than two hours a day reduces intelligence
Study finds that driving, watching TV for long hours reduces intelligence. Courtesy: AP
(Web Desk) - A new study suggests that driving for more than two hours in a day makes you less intelligent.
According to researchers investigating how sedentary behaviour affects brainpower, IQ scores fell faster in middle-aged Britons who drove long distances every day, The Independent reported.
Kishan Bakrania, a medical epidemiologist at the University of Leicester, told The Sunday Times: “We know that regularly driving for more than two to three hours a day is bad for your heart. This research suggests it is bad for your brain, too, perhaps because your mind is less active in those hours.”
500,000 Britons aged between 37 and 73 were analysed over five years for the research, during which they took intelligence and memory tests. The 93,000 people who drove more than two to three hours a day typically had lower brainpower at the start of the study, which kept on declining throughout, at a faster rate than those who did little or no driving.
Researchers found a similar pattern for those people who watched TV for more than three hours a day. These people also had lower average behavior at the beginning of the study which kept deteriorating over the next five years.
“Cognitive decline is measurable over five years because it can happen fast in middle-aged and older people. This is associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking and bad diet — and now with time spent driving,” said Bakrania.
However, there is still hope to improve brain functioning for people who drive for long hours.
According to Bakrania’s results, using a computer to work or play games increased brain function. “Cognitive skills were boosted in people who used computers up to two to three hours a day,” he said. “When watching TV, your brain is less active but using a computer is stimulating.”
While other studies suggest cognitive decline is linked to physical inactivity, Bakrania suggested other factors may play a role. He said: “Driving causes stress and fatigue, with studies showing the links between them and cognitive decline.”
