MY TAE KWON DO BLACK BELT CHANGED MY LIFE AS AN AUTISTIC WOMAN
References
| Title | MY TAE KWON DO BLACK BELT CHANGED MY LIFE AS AN AUTISTIC WOMAN |
|---|---|
| Degree of recognition | International |
| Media name/outlet | SELF |
| Media type | Web |
| Duration/Length/Size | 500 words |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| Date | 18/04/19 |
| Description | "A small study published last year in Frontiers in Psychology looked at two groups of undergraduate students (who weren’t autistic): one group was made up of students who had participated in martial arts within the past two years (and who had anywhere from two to 18 years experience), and the other group had no martial arts training at all. Using a special psychology software tool on the computer, the researchers analyzed whether participants who had martial arts training responded faster to stimuli and targets that appeared on a screen in both predictable and unpredictable intervals compared to the group with no training. The results showed that the martial arts group had quicker reaction times and alertness scores when the targets appeared in unpredictable intervals; and the more years of training people had, the better their alertness scores were. (It’s important to note that the study couldn’t actually prove a causal relationship between the martial arts training and the better reactivity and alertness they displayed in the experiment.) The exact mechanisms behind why martial arts may have these types of positive effects isn’t totally clear. But, as the authors noted in the research, the general thinking is that the martial arts experience involves intense motor training, the need to maintain a constant state of concentration, and reactivity, all while involving a social element (like when you’re up against an opponent). The coauthors of the study—Paloma Mari-Beffa, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in neuropsychology and cognitive psychology, and Ashleigh Johnstone, a doctoral student in psychology, at Bangor University—explain to SELF in an email that martial arts is unique in that it focuses on what’s called “attention state training.” Arising from Asian traditions such as mindfulness and meditation, attention state training involves changing the state of your mind and body in order to improve your general focus." |
| Producer/Author | Jen Malia |
| URL | https://www.self.com/story/taekwondo-changed-my-life-as-an-autistic-woman |
| Persons | Paloma Marí-Beffa, Ashleigh Johnstone |