Exercising with your friends
Many people struggle to maintain a regular exercise schedule on their own, but they do better when they exercise with friends. This is not just in our heads. A Canadian research has studied the effects of running on the creation of new neurons – the process of neurogenesis - in the brains of adult rats housed in groups and in isolation. The authors report that running increased neurogenesis only when rats were housed in groups and, in rats that run in social isolation, neurogenesis is suppressed.
What does this mean?
Well, the scientists said running caused similar elevations of the stress hormone corticosterone in isolated or group-housed rats, but only animals that ran alone were vulnerable to the negative influence of corticosterone on neurogenesis. In other words, we create new neurons – essential to brain health and learning - when we exercise, but the counter-effect is of a kind of cortisone that can damage our bodies. However if we run in a group, we override that negative effect and just get the benefits!
But there are great social benefits too. If you join a class or group you’ll find that when somebody is missing from class, people check up on each other – you’ll find there’s a motivation to attend, and that you form new friendships. In addition you are given something more to look forward to than getting sweaty – there’s all the fun of gossip and the safety of exercising with others who know your strengths and weaknesses, congratulate you when you’re doing well and commiserate when the going is tough.
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