Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in the United States have found that people who walk more than 8,000 steps a day perform better on tests measuring attention, the ability to ignore distractions, and impulse control. The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports (SciRep).

The researchers analyzed data from 3,093 American adults aged 18 to 93. To assess physical activity, they used data from fitness trackers. Participants also completed cognitive tests measuring four skills: sustained attention, the ability to resist distractions, decision-making when choosing between immediate and delayed rewards, and recognizing emotions from facial expressions.

Participants were divided into three groups based on their daily step counts. The first group averaged 5,108 steps a day, the second 8,875, and the third more than 14,000.

“Participants in the two more active groups performed better on tasks involving attention, resistance to distractions, and decision-making than those who walked less. The most active group also achieved the highest scores for sustained attention,” the researchers said.

After accounting for age, education, income, and other factors, the researchers found that participants who walked around 8,875 steps a day scored an average of 1.76 points higher on attention tests than those in the least active group. Among those who walked around 14,000 steps a day, the difference was 2.17 points.

The researchers also found an association between higher systolic blood pressure and slightly poorer performance on decision-making tests. However, blood pressure had only a small influence on the observed relationship.

The researchers suggest that physical activity may support brain function by improving metabolism, reducing inflammation, and enhancing the nervous system’s ability to adapt. However, these mechanisms were not directly examined in the study.

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