Experts discover being lazy is bad for your memory

A study has found that being lazy is bad for your memory, while the more active you are, the better your memory.

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland conducted a meta-analysis of 21 studies that involved 1,455 participants over a number of years, finding that athletic people have “significantly better” memory than those who are less active.

The meta-analysis data essentially combines the research and conclusion gleaned from a number of studies related to the same topic conducted over the years to reach the “meta” conclusion. Their efforts revealed that there is a direct correlation between memory and athleticism, with memory being worse with laziness and better with activity.

Experts found this was particularly true in relation to working memory – the ability to work on something without losing track of the task and to remember lots of small pieces of information about it.

This kind of short-term memory is evident when solving a maths problem, for example. Working memory allows us to remember the numbers involved while we solve the task, but once it’s resolved they typically fade from our memory.

Meta-analysis showed that those who are athletic – which the study described as people who play sports like basketball, baseball, or fencing, for example – had a small but consistent advantage with working memory in comparison to those who are more sedentary.

While the correlation may be evident, what is not yet known is the reason for this difference. The meta-analysis was not able to pinpoint a direct cause-and-effect relationship, but it is thought the findings will help contribute to the field of work around physical activity and brain function.

Meanwhile, a recent study has found that even the most short-term memories can be deeply unreliable after just a few seconds.

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