Study confirms: Those who walk faster are more intelligent and age more slowly
We've always suspected it, and now a study has confirmed it: people who walk faster are actually smarter than those who walk slower. And they age more slowly!
Have you ever felt that way: You're out walking, and people in front of you are strolling along at a really slow pace, as if they have all the time in the world? If you're one of those people who gets pretty annoyed by that, we have good news for you. Because at least there's scientific proof that you're more intelligent than the leisurely, slinking people in front of you—and that you're not aging as quickly as they are.
Large-scale study over 40 years on walking speed and the physical and mental aging processA study by Duke University in the US examined a group of more than 900 New Zealanders over a period of 40 years, comparing their walking speed with intelligence and the cognitive and physical aging process. Large differences were found between slow and fast-walking subjects, especially at age 45.
The result: According to brain MRIs, people who walk more slowly age mentally faster, exhibit poorer cognitive abilities, and have, on average, a lower IQ. They were also in worse physical shape than the comparison group with a faster pace: Their lungs, teeth, and immune systems were in poorer shape.
People who walk faster appear to age more slowly – and are smarterThe researchers were surprised by the result: "Doctors know that slow-walking people in their 70s and 80s often die earlier than faster-walking people of the same age," explains Terrie E. Moffitt, one of the project's authors.
"But for this study, we examined the age range from kindergarten to middle age and found that slow walking is a warning sign decades before old age."
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So, the study is good news for the impatient among us (guilty!), showing that brisk walking can be a sign of a younger brain and a healthier body. But perhaps—besides being happy about this discovery—we can also learn to be a little more lenient and practice patience. Lower blood pressure is also important for our health.
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