A healthy lifestyle is attributed to better physical well-being, but how does fitness affect mental wellness? A new study from researchers at the University of Aberdeen suggests that living a healthier lifestyle could also increase the brain’s executive function, or the capacity of the mind to exert self-control, set and meet goals, resist temptation, and solve problems.
Findings also suggest that this connection is a feedback loop, meaning that greater executive function enables people to lead a healthier lifestyle, which in turn, improves their executive function.