A small Japanese study found that a brief, gentle treadmill run improved mood and performance on an attention task.
Ten minutes of very slow jogging may provide an immediate mental lift, according to research from Japan’s University of Tsukuba. Participants reported a more pleasant mood and performed better on a cognitive task after running at speeds close to walking pace.
The study, published in Imaging Neuroscience, involved 24 healthy young adults. Each participant completed a ten-minute treadmill run and a separate resting session, with the order randomised. This allowed researchers to compare the short-term effects of exercise with those of rest.
Running speeds were approximately 3–6 kilometres per hour, corresponding to a very light exercise intensity. Researchers assessed mood and used the Stroop test to examine executive function—the mental processes involved in directing attention and controlling responses.
Following the run, participants showed reduced Stroop interference time, indicating improved performance when responding to conflicting information. Measurements using functional near-infrared spectroscopy also showed greater activation in parts of the left prefrontal cortex associated with executive function and mood regulation.
Researchers additionally found that greater up-and-down head movement during jogging was associated with larger improvements in mood. That relationship offers a clue for further investigation, but does not establish that deliberately increasing head movement would improve the effect.
The findings concern immediate effects in a small, healthy group. They do not establish how long the benefits last, whether repeated sessions produce lasting improvements, or whether older adults and people with medical conditions would respond similarly. The study also did not evaluate jogging as a treatment for depression or anxiety.
The results suggest that even a brief period of gentle running can influence mood and task performance. Larger studies will help determine how consistently those benefits occur and how they translate beyond the laboratory.
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