Electric Bikes Can Boost Older People's Mental Performance and Their Well-Being

A study published in PLOS ONE found cycling can improve older adults' mental abilities and well-being, reports The Conversation . Participants either cycled on a conventional pedal bike or on an electrically assisted "e-bike," or maintained their regular non-cycling regimen as a control group. Mental abilities, mental health, and well-being were scored before and after the eight-week cycling period. One measurement was taken via the "Stroop test," in which participants were shown the name of a color-printed on a card in a different color script, and asked to name the color of the ink that the word was printed in. The task quantifies how accurately someone is able to minimize distraction from the written word when reporting the ink color. After eight weeks, both pedal and e-bike cycling groups, as opposed to the non-cycling controls, were better at ignoring the written word, suggesting an improvement in mental function. Moreover, e-bike users spent more time cycling on average each week than the pedal cyclists, with many observing that they felt they could go further on the e-bike, as they could rely on the motor to get them home if they could not manage it on their own.