Not only is cleaning good for your home, it also improves the mental health of those who do the housework. “Scientists already know that exercise has a positive effect on the brain, but our study is the first to show that the same could be true of housework.Noah Koblinsky, lead author of a paper on the topic, published on February 5 in the journal, says BMC Geriatrics. He and his team of Canadian scientists discovered that older people who spend more time on housework have bigger brains.

Stimulation of the hippocampus and frontal lobe

Researchers looked at the links between housework, brain size, and cognition in a group of 66 older adults. Participants attended three evaluation visits to Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, including health evaluation, structural brain imaging, and cognitive assessment. They were asked about the time they spend on housework, such as tidying up, dusting, preparing and cleaning meals, shopping, doing heavy chores, gardening, repairing the house, and taking care of.

The results showed that the volunteers who spent the most time participating in such activities had a greater brain volume, regardless of how much exercise they did. This has been observed in the hippocampus, which plays a major role in memory and learning, and the frontal lobe, which is involved in many aspects of cognition.

More exercise, more brain activity and a less lethargic lifestyle

According to the researchers, the benefits of physical activity at home for the brain could have several explanations. “First, we know that heart health is closely related to brain health.Notice. Housework may have a similar effect on the cardiovascular system as low-intensity aerobic exercise.. “In addition, the planning and organization resulting from household chores.”It can promote the formation of new nerve connections over time, even as we ageFinally, seniors who do more housework spend less time idle, which is related toNegative health issues, including poor brain health“, They say.

“In addition to helping direct physical activity recommendations for older adults, these results may also motivate them to be more active because housework is a natural and often necessary part of many people’s daily life and thus appears to be achievable.Researchers have already indicated that they want to make a more objective assessment of home physical activity using wearable technology in future studies, ”concludes Nicole Anderson, author of the study.