Did You Know? Athletes Make Faster Decisions Under Pressure than Non-Athletes.

Posted on: November 14, 2016

Many people know that there a quite a number of physical benefits of playing sports and having an active lifestyle. There are also a variety of mental health benefits. Engaging in sports has undoubtedly been proven to have physical benefits such as weight management and better overall health and mental benefits including higher confidence, self-worth, the ability to cooperate better with others, self- esteem…and the list goes on and on.

There was a study done comparing athletes versus non- athletes and their decision making skills and speed. A number of students were chosen to participate in a study, half of which were athletes and half non-athletes. The athletes in the study included varsity baseball players, soccer players’ swimmers, gymnasts, wrestlers and cross country runners. In this study the participants were tested in a virtual reality game where they were surrounded by multiple big screens and had to cross a road which had virtual cars zooming by at speeds of around 35-55 mph.
What this study concluded was quite interesting. The athletes were much better at crossing the road safely than other participants. The results showed that speed and physical ability of the participants is not what made the difference, but the athletes mental ability to process information at a quicker rate and survey the road is what distinguished their results from the non-athletes.

Athletes are able to process information quicker and have faster decision making skills because they get a significantly higher amount of practice working their decision making skills while engaged in their sport of choice.
Having the ability to function under pressure and make decisions is a vital life skill. A skill that serves as a major benefit to many professions including careers involving leadership. It’s no surprise that some of the most successful people in the world reveal that they got a ‘head start’ in athletics as young adolescents.

So join us today at HIT Sports Center to start receiving the wide variety of physical and mental benefits of playing sports. Give your child a head start, or enhance your life while you enjoy playing your favorite sports.