Driving manual cars is better for your brain
Research by a renowned Japanese neuroscientist has given drivers of manual cars reason to boast.
Driving a manual car could be helping your brain not just in the moment but also long-term, according to research by prominent Japanese neuroscientist, Professor Ryuta Kawashima.
Professor Kawashima, best known for helping develop and host Nintendo’s ‘Brain Training’ video game series, is an expert in the field of keeping minds active for longer, and in his latest findings claims manual vehicles are great to help stay sharp.
As reported by Japanese publication Best Car, Professor Kawashima’s research shows that driving a manual vehicle helps to activate the prefrontal cortex of those behind the wheel, making sure the brain is ready to make decisions and solve problems.
According to the report, by forcing drivers to think about what gear they need to be in – as well as inputs of the clutch and accelerator – a manual transmission requires greater cognitive function than an automatic car.
Effectively, this helps to maintain and strengthen the brain, similar to how exercise and working out does so for our muscles, which aids long-term cognitive function, leading to better mental health.
However, there is of course a twist, in that the vast majority of cars on sale and being sold are automatics, with manuals becoming harder to find.
That hasn’t stopped manuals from remaining in showrooms, with the three-pedal layout mostly reserved for enthusiast and performance vehicles, as well as some of the most affordable cars on sale.
Speaking to Top Gear last year, Andy Morley - managing director of Hewland Engineering, supplier of transmissions to cars like the Pagani Utopia and Aston Martin Valour - said manual gearboxes (or H-gate transmissions, in his words) are partly being kept alive thanks to big-money projects.
“From our perspective, we’re certainly seeing a significant upshift in demand for H-gate transmissions,” Morley told Top Gear.
“Five years ago, we envisaged a future dominated by electric vehicles and predictable automatic transmissions.
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“While we have already been involved in half a dozen projects to develop manual gearboxes for high-performance models, we see no signs that this trend is just a flash in the pan. There are plenty of models at the development stage.
“We are seeing a major move back to manual gearshifts among high performance marques and we think this trend will spread across to other high-performance models.
“Granted, the mass market will be increasingly dominated by EVs, but there will still be a significant element of the car buying public who enjoy the thrill of driving for pleasure - which is where the H gate transmission comes in.”
