Science Says People Who Hate Working Out Are Smarter, Because Duh
Great news for lazy asses like me!
Do you hate the word cardio? Do your ears bleed when your friends talk about their “enlightening” yoga experiences over mimosas at brunch? Does the gym seem like the devil’s sanctuary? If you answered “yes” to the above, you’re probably more intelligent than your gym rat friends, according to science.
A new study says that people who dislike working out tend to have higher intelligence than people who frequent the gym.
The study was published in the Journal of Health Psychology by researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University. Of the 60 participants, 30 scored high on a test measuring “need for cognition,” while the other half were at the low end of the spectrum. Each group wore activity trackers for a week straight. At the end of the week, the results concluded that the higher scorers were less physically active.
Sixty participants is definitely a small sample size, but it’s enough for lazy asses like me to justify not going to the gym. Why do arm curls when you can eat donuts instead, am I right?! Despite the small sample size, the study confirms what’s been hypothesized before—gym rats tend to be “non-thinkers” who get bored easily. BPS Research Digest Christian Jarrett notes: “non-thinkers are more prone to boredom than thinkers, and find boredom more aversive. Perhaps non-thinkers resort to physical activity as a way to escape their inner worlds.”
Welp, here’s to more ice cream and sedentary activity!
