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REAL LIFE NEWS: JUGGLING IS GOOD FOR THE BRAIN

by Hazed

Juggling, it turns out, is good for you. Not just good for fitness, or for becoming more coordinated, but actually good for the brain. Scientists at Oxford University in the UK say that complex tasks such as juggling produce significant changes in the brain's structure.

Their study involved people who trained in juggling for six weeks. A brain scan before and after showed a 5% increase in white matter. The 24 participants were divided into two groups. One of the groups were given weekly training sessions in juggling for six weeks and practiced for 30 minutes each day. The other half did no juggling at all.

After the training, those in the juggling group were able to perform at least two continuous cycles of the class three ball cascade. The scans showed the increase in a rear section of the brain which contains nerves that react to reaching and grasping objects in our peripheral vision.

Interestingly, whether they were any good or not had no bearing on the increase; it seems it's the practicing that makes the difference, not the skill level achieved.

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