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A University of Tsukuba study found that 10 minutes of very slow jogging was followed by improved self-reported mood and Stroop test performance in 24 healthy young adults. The short experiment does not establish lasting benefits or show that slow jogging works the same way for other groups.
A study from the University of Tsukuba found that 10 minutes of very slow jogging was followed by improved mood and performance on a test of attention and mental control among 24 healthy young adults. The small experiment suggests that light running may produce immediate changes, though it does not show how long they last or whether they apply to older adults or people with health conditions.
Researchers compared two 10-minute sessions: participants sat on a stationary treadmill for one session and ran at a very slow pace for the other. The jogging pace was about 3 to 6 kilometers per hour (1.9 to 3.7 miles per hour), and the effort was about 35% of participants’ peak oxygen uptake. Researchers assessed mood and cognitive performance before and after each session, and used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure activity in the prefrontal cortex.
After jogging, participants reported a more pleasant mood and performed better on the Stroop test, which assesses aspects of executive function, including attention and handling conflicting information. Researchers also detected increased activity in prefrontal-cortex areas associated with executive function and mood regulation. The sitting session did not produce comparable changes. The findings describe immediate results in this experiment; the source report does not provide effect sizes or evidence about longer-term outcomes.
Slow jogging uses a running motion at a conversational pace, where a person can talk comfortably. Unlike walking, running briefly lifts both feet off the ground. The approach is associated with Japanese exercise physiologist Hiroaki Tanaka and the phrase “niko niko pace,” or “smiling pace.” The study’s pace could be slow enough for a brisk walker to move faster.
A Short Session With Immediate Effects
The results offer a possible option for people who find conventional running too demanding: a short session at a light pace was followed by changes in mood and one measure of thinking skills. That may make the study relevant to readers looking for a brief movement break, although it did not test whether adding slow jogging to daily life improves health or work performance.
The distinction between an immediate laboratory result and an established everyday benefit matters. The experiment involved 24 healthy young adults, and the reported outcomes were measured around a single 10-minute session. It cannot establish a lasting mental-health effect, predict benefits for a broader population or show that jogging should replace walking. The source report describes walking as beneficial exercise and says the study does not call for people to stop walking.
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How the Jogging Study Worked
The study asked whether running must be strenuous to produce measurable changes in mood, cognition and brain activity. Its comparison with sitting allowed researchers to examine what followed a short period of very light jogging, while the Stroop test provided one measure of executive function. The results add a small experiment to existing research associating physical activity, including walking, with physical and mental health; they do not settle how jogging compares with walking.
Researchers also measured vertical movement of the head. Participants with greater head movement tended to show larger mood improvements, according to the source report. The researchers have not established why the two were associated. Earlier animal research has suggested that head acceleration could affect neurons involved with serotonin, but the source describes that explanation as theoretical in humans. It would be premature to conclude that jogging’s bouncing motion causes a mood lift.
“A brief, slow run might help before a presentation or another mentally demanding task.”
— Hideaki Soya, study supervisor, as quoted in the Seniors Guide report
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Duration and Wider Effects Unknown
The source report does not state how long the mood and test-performance changes lasted, whether repeating the sessions would produce similar results, or whether slow jogging has comparable effects in older adults, people with health conditions or less healthy participants. The sample included 24 healthy young adults, limiting how broadly the findings can be applied.
It also remains unclear what explains the association between greater head movement and mood improvement. The proposed link to serotonin is based on earlier animal research, and the report says it remains theoretical for humans. The study does not establish that this movement caused the mood changes.
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Researchers to Examine Movement
The study’s researchers plan to investigate the possible role of vertical head movement further, according to the source report. That work may help clarify whether the association with mood reflects a meaningful mechanism or another factor.
For now, the reported findings are limited to immediate measurements after two short sessions in a small group of healthy young adults. More research would be needed to assess longer-term effects, different populations and how slow jogging compares with other forms of light activity.
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Key Questions
What did the slow-jogging study find?
After 10 minutes of very slow jogging, 24 healthy young adults reported a more pleasant mood and performed better on a Stroop test than before the session. Researchers also measured increased activity in parts of the prefrontal cortex associated with executive function and mood regulation.
How slow was the jogging pace?
Participants ran at about 3 to 6 kilometers per hour, or 1.9 to 3.7 miles per hour. The effort was about 35% of their peak oxygen uptake.
Does the study show that slow jogging has lasting mental-health benefits?
No. The study reported changes measured immediately around one 10-minute session. The source does not report how long any changes lasted or whether repeated sessions produce lasting benefits.
Should people replace walking with slow jogging?
The report says the research does not suggest people should stop walking or replace it with jogging. The experiment compared slow jogging with sitting; it did not establish that jogging is better than walking.
Why might the motion of jogging affect mood?
Participants with greater vertical head movement tended to show larger mood improvements, but the reason is unknown. A possible link to serotonin-related neurons comes from animal research and remains theoretical in humans.
Source: rss
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