In Addition To Sports, Completing Homework Has The Potential To Improve Brain Memory

JAKARTA – Older adults, according to researchers, who spend more time completing homework have larger brain volumes.

According to a recent Baycrest study, the brain will be healthier, especially strong on cognitive health when it spends more time handling homework. Noah Koblinsky, lead author of the study and Exercise Physiologist and Project Coordinator at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute said:

“Scientists already know that exercise has a positive impact on the brain. But our research is the first to show that the same might be true for housework.”

Published in the journal BMC Geriatrics, experts explore forms of physical activity that contribute to brain health. The goal is to develop strategies and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults.

Later research highlighted the relationship between household chores, brain volume, and cognition in 66 cognitively healthy older adults. The participants were asked to come three times to undergo a health evaluation, brain structure imaging, and cognitive assessment.

In the evaluation phase, participants were interviewed about the amount of time they spent on household chores such as tidying, dusting, preparing food, shopping, tending the yard, repairs, and care.

From the interviews, it was found that older adults spent a lot of time doing these activities. Outside of routine exercise, the part of the brain that plays a major role in storing memory and learning is in good condition.

Good health in the hippocampus is involved in many cognitive aspects. Other findings, some individuals have a larger brain volume and are more likely to do household chores.

Another positive condition of activity at home is related to heart health. It could be that homework has a positive effect on the heart and blood vessels equivalent to low-intensity aerobic exercise.

By doing household activities, planning and organizing encourage the formation of new neural connections over time. That is, the cognitive condition is good.

Researchers measured the entire brain volume associated with memory, work attention, processing speed, and execution function. The model used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and regression analysis to investigate the relationship with hippocampal and frontal lobe volumes.

The results of this study indicate that completing household chores is a low-risk physical activity.

These activities can be carried out with a number of positive effects, including memory strength, heart health, and – although research shows no significant relationship – affects cognitive aspects.