Reaction time and Longevity
So does Wing Tsun make you live longer? Perhaps it does, as demonstrated in a study by Metter et al in the Journal of Gerentology. 1196 male subjects performed tapping and auditory reaction-time tasks over a course of 40 years and mortality was tracked. Results accounted for age, power, strength, and any baseline disorders (eg. neck pain, tremors, etc). Turns out tapping reaction time was found to be associated with mortality. The faster the reaction time, the longer you’d live.
More recently, another study was published, this time with 7,414 subjects. Researchers in this study suggested that reaction times are a measure of one’s intelligence, which is a general indicator of how well a body is ‘wired together’.
Interesting eh? So all these years of chi-sao is an opportunity for your brain and nervous system to create new wiring pathways, which may lead to overall longer life.
Of course this is just an association, not cause and effect. But then again, maybe the direct approach of wing tsun simply makes up for our lack of reaction time..and well..really hides the fact that we are naturally slow.
Until then.
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2 comments:
At the 1968? olympics in mexcio city,, they tested reaction speed of all athletes, the sprinters were third fastest, the ping pong players second, and power lifters were the quickest,,
synapse gap jump tests i think,,
power lifting to live long? i dont know what to think about that...
Presumably there s a hidden variable in that intelligence and reaction time are closely related. Intelligence also correlates with mental activity over the whole life span so no wonder longevity and reaction time also run in parallel. And yes, weight lifters need to be extremely quick to lift weights (unlike powerlifters or body builders who otherwise may present a similar physique).
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