Physical Activity and Thinking: An Investigation of their Relationship

Physical activity level is becoming more recognized as a primary factor in overall human health and obesity. Humans possess a number of traits that influence their physical activity level. We examined whether having a high or low desire to engage in challenging mental activity predicted differences in daily physical activity levels. We recruited 30 high “need for cognition” (NFC) individuals and 30 low-NFC individuals and measured their physical activity level in 30-second epochs over a 1-week period. Low-NFC individuals were more physically active overall but this difference was most pronounced during the 5-day work week and lessened during the weekend. Awareness of this physical activity deficit and its negative consequences may encourage high-NFC individuals to be proactive and adopt lifestyle changes to increase their physical activity levels. Key Words: Daily activity, Cognition, Obesity, Risk