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Today’s Health Upgrade
Is greatness contagious?
How to fix brain fog
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Does cooling off improve your workouts?
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Performance
The Greatness Contagion
Ever wonder why certain environments seem to bring out your best — or your worst? Science confirms it's not just in your head.
Researchers coined the term "spillover effect," a fascinating workplace phenomenon that suggests the people around you directly influence your performance.
Their groundbreaking study examined productivity at a large technology company by analyzing the impact of high performers on their nearby colleagues. The results even made us do a double-take.
They found that high performers created a 15 percent boost in performance for coworkers within a 25-foot radius. And that bump translated to an estimated $1 million in additional annual profits.
Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true. Sitting near a low performer decreased performance by about 30 percent.
In other words, the effect works like a contagion — excellence (or weakness) spreads from person to person.
There’s a reason why a good environment can be the difference between success and stagnation. If you exercise with someone slightly stronger or faster than you, their performance naturally pulls you toward greater achievement without you even realizing it.
If you need help leveling up your health, nutrition, and fitness, that’s why we built the positive corner of the internet. In just two years, there have been 202,836 positive interactions in the community and more than 745,000 habits completed. People who start as strangers become accountability partners who understand that we are all trying to get a little healthier. As an APC reader, you get 20% OFF your membership.
While you might not control who you sit by at work, you do control who you surround yourself with in life. Some people pull you down while others lift you up. Make sure you choose wisely.
Instant Health Boost
The 5-Minute Fix for a Foggy Brain
If you’ve ever struggled to focus, felt mentally drained, or hit that afternoon wall where your brain won’t cooperate, there’s a simple, overlooked reset button for your mind. And it might be sitting right in your living room or office.
Spending just five minutes in an indoor space filled with plants and sky views significantly improved perceived restoration and attention, and changed brainwave patterns linked to mental fatigue.
Researchers brought participants into three indoor environments: a standard indoor space with no greenery, an indoor location with some vegetation but no view of the sky, and an indoor space with dense greenery and a view of the sky.
Each person sat in the space for five minutes, then completed a cognitive task while wearing an EEG monitor to track brainwave activity.
Participants reported significantly better mental recovery when exposed to greenery and the sky, and saw a boost in cognitive performance.
Brain activity also shifted in measurable ways. The EEG markers associated with stress and mental effort were significantly lower in the greenery-rich environments, suggesting reduced cognitive load and improved attentional control.
Scientists believe natural environments give your brain a break from directed attention — the kind you use all day to stay focused — and that break helps you refocus. This study supports the idea that just being near nature, even indoors, is enough to trigger some of those benefits.
Want to clear your head? Add more greenery to your home or office, especially dense plants. Or place yourself near a window or skylight when possible. For better results, give yourself longer breaks around indoor nature, even if it’s just 5 minutes.
Fitness
Does Cooling Off Improve Your Workouts?
You’ve probably seen it on the sidelines, during marathons, and other sporting events — athletes with ice towels, cooling collars, or fans blasting their faces. But does cooling your head, face, or neck help you perform better?
A new meta-analysis reveals that while cooling feels good, it doesn’t guarantee a performance boost.
Researchers reviewed 63 studies to determine whether cold towels, menthol, water sprays, or cold collars enhance physical or cognitive performance.
People felt cooler and more comfortable using head, face, or neck cooling, even if their core body temperature and heart rate didn’t change much. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the impact on actual physical performance was either inconclusive or non-existent. People reported better perception of recovery, but that didn’t result in going faster or lasting longer.
The researchers believe the perceptual benefits — feeling more comfortable, cooler, and in control — could psychologically influence performance for some people, even if the physiological data doesn’t show a major effect. That “cooler head” might reduce perceived exertion, especially in the heat.
If you’re competing in hot environments and feel better using a cooling towel or neck wrap, go for it. It won’t hurt, and it might give you a mental edge. But don’t expect it to be a magic bullet for better performance or brainpower.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
