Athletes have better-tuned brains that can block out distractions and ‘help them process sounds such as calls from teammates to pass the ball’
- Study participants had electrodes on their head to measure brain activity
- Athletes were able to reduce ‘brain noise’ to process external sounds
- Researchers said this ability makes a person more aware of their surroundings
Athletes have better-tuned brains that can block distractions and allow them listen to what is going on around them, a study suggests.
Almost one thousands students, including athletes, had electrodes attached to their heads to measure brain activity in response to a sound.
Student athletes were better able to block background ‘noise’ to hear sounds, which could include calls from a teammate to pass the ball.
Neuroscientists said this ability may signal a person has a stronger nervous system. It also means they may be more aware of their surroundings.
Musicians and people who can speak more than one language have also been found to have this skill. It typically deteriorates as we age.
Athletes are better at tuning their brain to understand their environment better by blocking out background noise in their brain, a study suggests
Senior author Dr Nina Kraus, of Northwestern University, said: ‘No one would argue against the fact that sports lead to better physical fitness, but we don’t always think of brain fitness and sports.
‘We’re saying playing sports can tune the brain to better understand one’s sensory environment.
‘A serious commitment to physical activity seems to track with a quieter nervous system.
‘And perhaps, if you have a healthier nervous system, you may be able to better handle injury or other health problems.’
These are the latest results of a five-year, US National Institutes of Health-funded research project which launched last year.
The study examined the brain health of 495 female and male Northwestern Division 1 college athletes and 493 controls who were the same age.
Participants wore earphones to listen to instructions from Dr Kraus and colleagues. Electrodes on the scalp recorded brain activity.
The team analysed the ratio of background noise to the response to speech. The results were published in the journal Sport Health.
Background noise is also known as static noise. It doesn’t actually make a sound – but may interfere with how we focus on important sounds.
Everyone has a different ability to filter out background noise to listen to important information or concentrate.
But athletes were generally found to have bigger responses to the sounds than non-athletes.
Dr Kraus and colleagues say they had an enhanced ability to tamp down background electrical noise in their brain.
For example, while playing a game of sports, they have an enhanced ability to listen to their coach on the sidelines or teammates far away.
People who struggle to tune their brain into noise may have auditory processing disorder (APD), a hearing problem where the brain is unable to process sounds in the normal way.
Dr Kraus said: ‘Think of background electrical noise in the brain like static on the radio.
‘There are two ways to hear the DJ better: minimize the static or boost the DJ’s voice. We found that athlete brains minimize the background “static” to hear the “DJ” better.’
Tuning out brain noise is also seen in musicians and those who can speak more than one language, Dr Kraus said.
However, musicians’ and multilinguals’ brains do so by turning up the sound in their brain versus turning down the background noise in their brain.
Dr Kraus said: ‘They all hear the “DJ” better but the musicians hear the “DJ” better because they turn up the “DJ”, whereas athletes can hear the “DJ” better because they can tamp down the “static”.’