Denksport

German is a funny language (I am allowed to say that, being German): It sounds quite harsh to most speakers of other languages and is quite complicated grammar-wise. Anyone struggling with German cases will know what I mean. 

However, the German language is also beautifully variable. You can use two nouns and stick them together to make a new noun. This means, even if you think you only know a few words, you will actually know a lot more. Handschuhe (hand shoes=gloves), Handtuch (hand cloth=towel), Handschlag (hand hit=handshake) are just a few examples!  It is like an IKEA kitchen set. So many possibilities.

One expression I really like is that of “Denksport”. The literal translation would be “thinking sport”. And thinking really is exercise for the brain. That aside, the expression also captures two neuroscience discoveries that make me very excited. Discoveries that I think any person can use to their advantage in everyday life.

First, thinking about movement – even when sitting perfectly still – activates very similar areas of the brain as moving. More exciting still, this activation leads to similar practice effects to actually performing the movement. In other words, mental rehearsal of kicking a goal from a long distance or mentally fine-tuning a swim stroke can lead to performance gains through motor programming. When injured or too fatigued physically to move, “thinking sport” will therefore still allow you to make some gains. 

Second, we now know that moving confers benefits for the brain. This happens with regard to mood as a result of a boost of endorphins (or happy hormones) that are released when moving and also with regard to thinking ability – or cognition. Movement broadly speaking increases thickness of the gray matter and increases connectivity of different brain areas, resulting in better problem solving, attention and concentration.

If you are keen to learn more about how thinking improves movement and moving improves thinking over the next couple of months, keep an eye on this spot, follow me or subscribe to the blogpost.  

References (for the extra keen)

Ladda, Lebon & Lotze (2021)

Saanijoki et al. (2018)

Erickson et al. (2014)

Opel et al. (2019)