Research: Driving or Watching TV More Than 2 Hours A Day Makes You Less Intelligent

A new study has found that driving or watching TV more than two hours a day makes a person less intelligent, meaning if two people are of the same intellect and one begins driving or watching TV more than two hours a day, this person’s intellect will decline over time, compared to the other.

According to UK's Independent:

Researchers investigating how sedentary behaviour affects brainpower found IQ scores fell
faster in middle-aged Britons who drove long distances every day.

Kishan Bakrania, a medical epidemiologist at the University of Leicester, told The Sunday Times: “We know that regularly driving for more than two to three hours a day is bad for your heart.

“This research suggests it is bad for your brain, too, perhaps because your mind is less active in those hours.”

The researchers analysed the lifestyles of more than 500,000 Britons aged between 37 and 73 over five years, during which they took intelligence and memory tests.

The 93,000 people who drove more than two to three hours a day typically had lower brainpower at the start of the study, which kept on declining throughout, at a faster rate than those who did little or no driving.

A similar result was also found for those watching TV for more than three hours a day, who also had lower average brainpower at the start of the study which fell faster over the next five years.

“Cognitive decline is measurable over five years because it can happen fast in middle-aged and older people. This is associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking and bad diet — and now with time spent driving,” Mr Bakrania told the paper.

However, Mr Bakrania’s results suggested using a computer to work or play games increased brain function.