Get Brainy Down the Pub
In the name of Science, Null reporter Jamie Lawson tests the theory that social interaction (in a pub) improves mental agility.
At time of writing, your loyal reporter is not his best. In fact, that is something of an under-statement. My stomach churns. My teeth ache. My tongue feels like carpet and my bloodshot eyes feel as if they are trying to leave my skull, probably in order to escape the shards of glass that have replaced my brain. In the name of Science, dear readers, I was out partying last night and now I am paying the penalty. This is more than hangover; this is apocolypse. I can only hope that I had enough fun last night to make it worthwhile. The thing is, I can’t remember.
I had intended to test my cognitive performance this morning, and had a Rubix Cube on my desk specifically for the purpose. Unfortunately the mix of colours on the cube made me feel extremely unwell and I had to put it in a drawer. Then I had a fight with the kettle, burned my fingers on the toaster and couldn’t work out why my computer wouldn’t turn on (it wasn't plugged in). In general terms, I would classify my cognitive functioning as being particularly low today. Which is odd, because the party last night was meant to improve my intellect, not obliterate it.At least, that's the message from Oscar Ybarra and his colleagues at the University of Michigan. In a series of experiments, the team have established that social interaction aids mental agility. Which is excellent news, I think, not least because it makes me imagine their experiments to be something like the Krypton Factor in a pub... only without the assault course bit... I assume.
The general rationale for the association of cognitive performance and social interaction runs as follows: the social arena is a seething mass of complex relationships and information that take effort to keep up with and process. Engaging socially, therefore, with other people uses a variety of intellectual resources. One must, after all, keep track of so many things; people’s names, who is still talking to whom, whose round it is at the bar,
the list goes on. Involving yourself in social activity exercises your brain’s cognitive centres, thereby increasing general cognitive function.All of which is a long way of saying that going out and seeing people is not only fun, but also good for your brain, although your brain, if it is anything like mine, will not thank you for it.
Right, that’s about all I can cope with, I think I’d better drag myself back to bed. If anyone fancies heading out and improving their cognitive functioning later, do let me know.
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