OFF THE WIRE
Every biker knows the feeling of release when they hop on their machine
and take a long, relaxing ride. Motorcycle riders keep talking about wind therapy and its benefits, explaining to the world that riding alone is enough for decreasing stress and promoting a happier life.
However, anecdotal and empirical evidence are two different things.
A claim is considered anecdotal if it comes from personal experience,
but if it’s a result of scientific experiments and observation, it’s no
longer only anecdotal, but empirical.
Since recently, wind therapy is no longer only an anecdotal claim. A
scientific study was conducted to prove if there are real, objective
benefits to riding a motorcycle, and the result is no surprise for
bikers, but it might be for the rest of the world.
In collaboration with Harley-Davidson, the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and
Human Behavior conducted a study that included 50 healthy motorcycle
riders. The riders were asked to ride their own
motorcycles in normal weather conditions over a measured distance of exactly 22
miles.
Two criteria were used
for this study. The first criteria were measuring the rider’s brain activity
while riding, and the second one was to measure their hormone levels before and
after they have completed the ride.
All the subject riders were hooked up to a mobile EEG, a
device that detects the brain’s electrical activity. In addition to measuring the
hormone levels and brain activity during the ride, the riders were also
monitored before the ride, while driving a car, and while resting.
The researchers observed that the ride decreased the participants’ levels of stress by 28 percent.
The 20-minute ride also increased the riders’ heartbeat by 11 percent,
and their adrenaline levels by 27 percent. What also increased is the
rider’s focus and alertness.
With scientifically proven evidence that riding a motorcycle
decreases stress and increases focus, it becomes perfectly clear why bikers are usually happy, laid back people with
great attention to detail.
Next time you come home from work, feeling all stressed out
and under the weather, instead of laying back and taking a nap, grab a bike and
go for a 20-minute motorcycle ride instead. Experienced bikers are well aware
of this, and it’s about time for the rest of the world to know about the divine
benefits of wind therapy.
