A University of Tsukuba study found that running for just 10 minutes at a pace close to walking was associated with better mood, stronger performance on an executive-function test and increased activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A brief run performed at an unusually slow pace may be enough to produce immediate benefits for mood and certain aspects of thinking, according to researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan.
The study found that 10 minutes of ultra-slow running — at speeds between 17 and 21 minutes per mile — was associated with improved performance on a cognitive test, greater feelings of cheerfulness and increased activity in the prefrontal cortex among healthy young adults.
That region of the brain plays an important role in decision-making, working memory and other higher-order cognitive functions.
Hideaki Soya, a professor emeritus of exercise biochemistry and neuroendocrinology who led the research, said the findings suggest that runners do not necessarily need to exercise intensely to obtain short-term neurological benefits.
“Running does not have to be hard to be good for your brain,” Soya said.
The peer-reviewed study involved 24 healthy young men and women.
Each participant completed two separate 10-minute sessions.
During one session, participants remained seated on a treadmill.
During the other, they ran as slowly as possible while still maintaining a running gait rather than walking.
Researchers used optical sensors mounted in caps worn by the participants to monitor blood flow and neural activity in the brain.
They also measured vertical acceleration of the head to confirm that the participants were actually running.
That measurement was important because running includes a brief airborne phase in which both feet leave the ground, distinguishing it biomechanically from walking even when the pace is similar.
Before and after the sessions, participants completed cognitive testing and mood questionnaires.
The researchers used the Stroop color-word test to evaluate executive function.
That test requires participants to process conflicting information and is commonly used to measure the brain’s ability to control attention and resolve competing signals.
Following the 10-minute slow run, nearly all participants performed better on the cognitive test and reported feeling more cheerful, according to the research team.
Brain measurements also showed significantly greater prefrontal cortex activity after the running session than after sitting.
Researchers found that greater vertical head acceleration was correlated with stronger mood improvements.
The relationship between head acceleration and improved cognitive performance was weaker.
That finding led the researchers to suggest that the rhythmic bouncing and physical sensation associated with running may contribute to some of the effects observed in the study.
The work was designed to examine whether extremely low-intensity exercise could generate immediate brain benefits independent of strenuous physical effort.
Earlier research has found that physical activity can enhance attentional and emotional processes during the minutes and hours after exercise, but many previous studies focused on moderate or vigorous exercise or examined benefits that developed over longer periods.
Soya’s earlier experiments in mice helped shape the human study.
According to the research team, slow running in mice increased neuronal activity in brain regions associated with memory without producing the stress responses typically connected with high-intensity exercise.
Researchers therefore designed the human trial in part to separate the effects of the running movement itself from the physiological strain of harder exercise.
The idea is also consistent with broader evidence showing that regular aerobic activity can alter the body’s response to stress and support neurological health.
Previous research has likewise connected movement with mood regulation and found that physical activity can trigger neurotransmitter activity associated with positive emotions.
Henriette van Praag, an exercise and brain researcher at Florida Atlantic University who was not involved in the study, described the research as “very nicely done.”
She said the relationship involving head acceleration was “of interest,” according to a report on the findings.
Exercise is known to cause the body to release molecules associated with reduced anxiety and improved cognitive flexibility.
Soya suggested that the practical value of the findings could be particularly straightforward.
A short, slow run could potentially be used before a mentally demanding task, such as a test or work meeting, as a way to temporarily prepare the brain for concentration.
Because the pace requires relatively little exertion, he also said the approach could potentially be accessible to a broader range of people than more strenuous workouts.
The researchers cautioned, however, that the findings remain preliminary.
The study included only 24 participants, all of whom were healthy adults in Japan.
Researchers measured only short-term effects following a single exercise session, meaning the study did not establish whether the observed cognitive and mood changes persist over longer periods.
It also did not determine whether similar effects would occur among older adults or people with cognitive impairment.
Soya described the results as “a starting point” and said larger studies will be necessary to confirm the findings and explore possible long-term benefits.
The research nevertheless adds to evidence suggesting that even small amounts of aerobic activity may produce measurable psychological and cognitive effects.
Previous studies have indicated that a few minutes of aerobic activity may help reduce anxiety and improve mental clarity [5], while maintaining exercise as a regular habit has been associated with broader physical and mental health benefits.
The new findings suggest those effects may not require running quickly or exercising to exhaustion.
For participants in this study, 10 minutes of movement at a pace barely faster than walking was associated with measurable changes in both mood and brain activity — raising the possibility that some immediate benefits of running may be available even at an intensity most people would consider unusually easy.
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