Academic performance, grades and hence future job prospects rely on mental agility. Is mental agility trainable? Research supports underlying cognitive elements of mental agility are trainable. French scientists from the famous university Rene Descartes received part of his early education, namely University of Poitiers which along with Paris IAE and Nice IAE hosts several English taught management programs in the heart of European Union, demonstrate that physical training can improve mental agility and overall mental health. In reviewing the field of cognition and physical training, University of Poitiers scientists demonstrate that it is certainly possible to use physical training to improve command-control of the mental and hence advance overall mental health and underlying cognitive elements of mental agility. Maintaining good mental health and improving mental agility are helpful anywhere, in any field, while studying in France and certainly in the field of management can have many practical applications both for personal health and health of staff.
Is mental agility trainable? French scientists review of techniques for improving mental health health and mental agility
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The central elements of the training of the command-control of the mental are (a) setting goals for accomplishing specific level of physical exercise (b), maintaining these goals in working memory and (c) most importantly, working diligently to monitor impulses that work against achieving the training objectives. These three elements, according to the French scientists, will slowly build a virtuous circle. Critical in the French scientists proposal is a renewed look at the classic neurotrophic explanation of positive effects of regular physical activity in favour of what these scientists refer to as the effort hypothesis. Basically, rather than arguing that regular physical exercise slowly modifies brains’s chemistry and hence brings about improvement in the mental, the French scientists ague that a systematic engagement in the command-control of the mental is the causal factor leading to these improvements.
While we tend to associate France with Tour de France, arts, fashion and dreamy evenings browsing Parisian passages famous artists and writers passed through, France has also a strong tradition in the sciences. Taking issue with the classic neurotrophic explanation of positive effects of regular physical activity on cognition, the French scientists instead focus on the role of human will power (what they terms volition) influencing and improving command-control of the mental. One can certainly argue that the main point is really all about what we in everyday language usage would refer to as potential of flexing brain muscles. This is a major issues that has consumed significant scholarly and popular attention.
In addressing this issue, French scientists claim that a virtuous circle can indeed be build to promote mental agility through carefully planning and passionately following physical exercise. What is important here is not so much that regular physical exercise can improve mental health and how we feel about ourselves—our sense of confidence. Rather the main issue is how these improvements take place.
The grounding idea of physical activity promoting mental health and brain agility is noting new. The scientific bases of these ideas can be found in neurotrophic theory of positive effects of regular physical activity on mental health and mental agility. According to this view of the relationship between physical activity and mental performance, regular physical activity improves cognitive performance by affecting brain chemistry. In technical terms, this has been referred to as the neurotrophic cause and effect relationship between physical activity and mental performance. That is, regular physical activity modifies brain chemistry, the so-called neurotrophic peptides of the brain in charge of nerve growth and neural plasticity. This improvement, brought about by neurotrophic peptides, will then cause improvement in cognitive performance. The chain of cause and effect relationship is important to take note of here because the alternative approach to improving mental agility, as proposed by French scientists, largely speaks in favour of cognition causing mental agility.
In the French scientists exposition the pillar holding the process is cognition sustaining and expanding volition needed to initiate, maintain and improve training. A detailed exposition of this process as discussed by the French scientists is beyond the scope of the present review. In short, the take away for practitioners and students aiming at preparing for a tough university term and exam periods is patience. It won’t happen overnight, but there is a way to flex those brain muscles and get ready for a tough university year.
In short, training programs must aim at improving three central cognitive elements that underly this whole process of improving mental agility and overall how well command-control of the mental is exercised. These three elements interact to produce the final improvement in mental agility and overall heath.
Firstly, goal settings is an important cognitive element propelling a positive sense of self into future and strengthening volition in relation to goals. Goals of the training program are valuable only if they can expand the initial limits set by the beginner’s physical conditions.
Secondly, it is critical to maintain these goals in working memory. Similar to religious rituals harmonizing a positive sense of self, training objectives have to be maintained in working memory and constantly repeated in order to unify self with these higher objectives.
Thirdly and most importantly is inhibition. Inhibition is the central cognitive element that must be trained to perfection in order to initiate, sustain and expand training objectives. Inhibition involves self-exerted control over often unnoticeable impulses and automatic thoughts that work against achieving the training objective.
Very similar to muscle strength training, these three cognitive elements must be worked out to improve and expand their capacity. The whole objective of training is precisely to expand the capacity of these three cognitive elements, which in harmony will lead to higher mental agility and physical health. Cognition in this approach is much more than how we conceive of, say, the cognitive steps involved in solving exams questions or a challenging business decision. In this approach cognition involves expanding the capacity of the underlying system of planning, maintaining and goal settings with self-regulated effort. In fact, the French scientists title their proposed position the effort hypothesis! Being in touch with sensation of effort and sense of fulfillment during the training session is a must if these sessions are to accumulate in improved physical health and mental agility.
The authors, Michel Audiffren and Nathalie Andre, are from the famous Rene Descartes University of Poitiers in France. Their work can be found in the 2019 Journal of Sport Health (8:339-347)