Game on
This is my husband's favorite time of year. Not because the air gets crisper and cooler, or because the leaves turn brilliant shades of gold, orange, and red. No, his love of autumn has to do with one thing, and one thing only: football. And in all the years we've been together, I've looked at his weekly game-watching ritual as a mindless way to waste a Sunday. But it turns out I'm the one who should be eating crow -- or pigskin, as the case may be. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Chicago, watching sports actually helps boost brain function. Without bogging you down in too many of the medical-ese details, the researchers found that watching sports helps people comprehend the terminology used in discussions about the activity. Essentially, it teaches fans a new language. And what the researchers found most intriguing about their findings was that when athletes and fans listened to discussions about their favorite sport, brain scans revealed that there was activity in areas of the brain typically used to plan physical actions. In other words, watching and talking about sports gives your brain a workout it wouldn't normally get from those sorts of activities. Of course, watching the NFL on Sunday isn't a replacement for good, old-fashioned physical activity. But it IS a good way to exercise your brain. So there's just one thing left to ask: Are YOU ready for some football? Source:
"Playing, and even watching, sports improves brain function," ScienceDaily (www.sciencedaily.com), 9/1/08 | 
