Are human brains wired for laziness?

New Canadian study published in the journal neuropsychology suggests that our brains can be wired to prefer to relax on the couch rather than something active. This is because energy conservation is one of the priorities of our brain.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have studied the "paradox of exercise". For decades, society has encouraged people to be more physically active. However, despite our best intentions, we are becoming less active.

"Energy conservation was essential for human survival because it allowed us to search more efficiently for food and shelter, to compete with sexual partners and to avoid predators," he said. said Dr. Matthieu Boisgontier, postdoctoral laboratory behavioral author in the Department of Physical Therapy.

"The failure of public policies to combat the pandemic of physical inactivity may be due to brain processes that have been developed and reinforced during the course of evolution."

For the study, young adults took place in front of a computer and had control of an avatar on the screen. Small images flashed on the screen, one at a time, representing physical activity or physical inactivity. Participants had to move the avatar as quickly as possible to the physical activity images and away from the images of physical inactivity – and vice versa.

Meanwhile, the electrodes recorded what was happening in their brain. Participants were generally quicker to move to active images and away from lazy pictures, but brain activity readings called electroencephalograms revealed that their brains had to work harder.

"We knew from previous studies that people avoid sedentary behaviors more quickly and adopt active behaviors. The exciting novelty of our study is that it shows that this faster avoidance of physical inactivity comes at a cost – and that it involves an increased involvement of brain resources, "said Boisgontier. "These findings suggest that our brain is naturally attracted to sedentary behaviors."

The question now is whether people's brains can be recycled.

"Everything that happens automatically is difficult to inhibit, even if you wish, because you do not know that it happens. But knowing that this happens is an important first step, "said Boisgontier.

Boisgontier is also affiliated with the University of Louvain (Belgium) and the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). He led this study with Boris Cheval of the University of Geneva and their international team of researchers from Oxford University (Eda Tipura), University of Geneva (Nicolas Burra, Jaromil Frossard, Dan Orsholits) and the University of California. Azur (Rémi Radel).

Source: University of British Columbia

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