Cycling is Good for Your Brain. (eBiking too!)

[XXtwindad]

Researching a potential article, I came across this scientific study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30785893/

I've always been intrigued by the mental benefits of cycling. The increases in chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin as well as the regulation of stress-inducing hormones such as cortisol are well-documented. But cycling shares this with other aerobic (and anaerobic) activities.

The advantage of outdoor cycling is that it's inherently a sensory activity. Meaning that you need to have your wits about you if you want to survive. Our "flight or fight" instinct have been dulled by years of indoor technology and conveniences. Even something as beneficial as indoor exercise lacks a sensory component. It's hard to feel a sense of heightened awareness when you're on the treadmill watching "Everyone Loves Raymond."

(A crucial caveat: for some people, due to gender or ethnicity, for example, being on a state of heightened awareness is not a "gift." It's a burden.)

But outdoor cycling (excluding events such organized races where the course is familiar) might be the only thing many of us have to be "fully engaged."
The minute I clip in, I'm aware that I'm surrounded by predators. AKA cars. I'm perpetually mentally engaged in a way that doesn't happen otherwise. A few other sports involving actual predators share this benefit, such as surfing and long-distance hiking.

But few activities with this benefit are so immediately accessible. The neurological benefits of cycling are a great reason for people to continue pedaling in their "Golden Years." And, yes, eBikers too.

[Hilltopperny]

This is one of the biggest benefits of riding IMHO, but I am fortunate enough to not see very many cars when I ride. I may see a dozen cars on a two hour drive on a busy day. There are definitely some predatory animals living in the woods surrounding the areas I ride, but it’s very rare to see them on a bike.

Turning onto an unknown path or snowmobile/atv trail tends to get that heightened awareness activated for me. Traveling down some new trail covered in leaves with roots and rocks underneath keeps my brain active and my body reacting. Even the typical routes I travel are enjoyable and keep me engaged as the terrain can change due to the amount of rain or lack thereof, season and traffic that has or hasn’t been going through.


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[fiamme red]

Cars may be hazards, but not predators.

Definition of predator:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator

1: an organism that primarily obtains food by the killing and consuming of other organisms : an organism that lives by predation

2: one who injures or exploits others for personal gain or profit

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

Cars may be hazards, but not predators.

Definition of predator:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator

Well, I guess my point was (something the study showed) that cycling outdoors boosts your cognitive abilities in a way that very few activities do. It may have a very positive effect on brain functioning - particularly with an aging population.

“The Fight or Flight” impulse is hard wired in our collective DNA. Very rarely are we forced to use it. To be “on,” in other words. In that sense, while cars are not saber-toothed tigers, their mere presence poses a danger.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Well, I guess my point was (something the study showed) that cycling outdoors boosts your cognitive abilities in a way that very few activities do. It may have a very positive effect on brain functioning - particularly with an aging population.

“The Fight or Flight” impulse is hard wired in our collective DNA. Very rarely are we forced to use it. To be “on,” in other words. In that sense, while cars are not saber-toothed tigers, their mere presence poses a danger.

“Collective dna“ is a funny term. Seems like it should involve an ultraviolet light.

[eippo1]

Unless you did what I did last weekend. Messed up a drop and ended up faceplanting onto the rock below. Have a nice concussion, 30 stitches to put my brow, nose, and upper lip back together. Worst is the inside of my mouth that was scooped out by my teeth.
However, it won't stop me from going back out after getting some rest and surgery. Biking really is the best thing for my brain. I'll take a few bad crashes over a sedentary life. It just puts everything in balance for me.

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[zennmotion]

Originally Posted by eippo1

Unless you did what I did last weekend. Messed up a drop and ended up faceplanting onto the rock below. Have a nice concussion, 30 stitches to put my brow, nose, and upper lip back together. Worst is the inside of my mouth that was scooped out by my teeth.
However, it won't stop me from going back out after getting some rest and surgery. Biking really is the best thing for my brain. I'll take a few bad crashes over a sedentary life. It just puts everything in balance for me.

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Life is dangerous. A few years ago, concerned about my increasing numbers of scary encounters with vehicles on the road, and cognizant of my lack of skillz on technical MTB terrain, I took up trail running. Somewhere into my 3rd week, just when my legs stopped feeling sore, I tripped on a root on an easy section of trail and did a hard faceplant, biting through my lip, nearly losing teeth, and almost passing out on the highway driving myself to the ER. I'm back on the road bike now, it's safer (for me). Be well everyone, and don't do stoopid sch!t, this is no time to visit a hospital! But yeah, I get the connection between aerobic exercise and brain function, read Dr. John Ratey's years of research for more supporting evidence.