What’s the Mind-Muscle Connection?

You may have heard that strength training – working your muscles – can help fortify your bones and maintain healthy weight. But while many of us realize “muscles are important for function—activities such as walking, climbing, and lifting,” a Psychology Today article states, “few appreciate just how important muscles are for feeling.”

Research now reveals that muscles communicate directly with your brain, affecting your mood, UCSD associate professor of psychiatry Thomas Rutledge, PhD, explains. In 2003, a Copenhagen-based research team discovered that “muscles at work secrete tiny chemical messengers called myokines that exert powerful effects on organ function, including brain function.”

Through myokines, muscles communicate with your brain, “triggering a cascade of biological responses that improve memory, learning, and mood.” So building and maintaining healthy muscle tissue leads to cognitive and mental health benefits, as clinical trials have shown.

Strengthening your muscles through resistance training has “emotional effects rivaling those of conventional antidepressants and psychotherapies.” As much as we associate the brain with thinking, “the primary function of the human brain is to coordinate complex movement” between the 100 trillion cells in a human body, says Rutledge. Neuroscience confirms that “the brain is designed for movement,” which is “why inactivity breeds depression and cognitive decline while exercise fuels well-being.” You were made to move. So if you move your muscles, you improve your mind.

To dive deeper into the fascinating mind-muscle connection, read the full article here.

 

Rutledge, Thomas, PhD. “Why Working Your Muscles Can Be a Powerful Antidepressant: Muscle Tissue Communicates Directly to the Brain.” Psychology Today, 18 Sep 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-healthy-journey/202209/why-working-your-muscles-can-be-a-powerful-antidepressant#:~:text=Through%20the%20actions%20of%20myokines,(see%20Figure%201%20below).

Photo by Luis Reyes on Unsplash