Fitness trackers reveal the link between exercise, memory, and mental health

Exercise can improve your cognitive and mental health — but not all forms and intensities of exercise have the same

Jeremy Manning, assistant professor of psychology and brain science at Dartmouth University and lead author, said: "Mental health and memory are essential

The researchers asked 113 Fitbit users to perform a series of memory tests, answer some questions about their mental health, and share their fitness data

Previous studies have typically focused on the effects of exercise on memory over a relatively short period of time, such as days or weeks, but the Dartmouth researchers wanted to examine the effects

The four memory tasks used in the study were designed to explore different aspects of participants' abilities at different time scales

Participants who were more active in the previous year tended to show better overall memory performance, but the specific areas of improvement depended on which type of activity

The researchers also found a link

The team made all their data and code available for free on Github for anyone

"When it comes to physical activity, memory and mental health, there's a very complex dynamic at play that can't be summed up in one sentence, such as 'walking improves memory' or 'stress impairs memory.

With further research, the team says their findings could have some exciting applications