Launching on Global Running Day today, ASICS is inviting the world to experience the uplifting power of sport and be part of the world’s first live study into the impact of movement on the mind. In this ambitious effort, the running brand is aiming to uplift one million minds around the world.
At the core of the effort, ASICS is enabling athletes all over the world to see, for the first time, the impact of movement on their own mind. Using a combination of facial scanning technology and self-report data collection, people will be able to capture the impact of sport across 10 emotional and cognitive metrics – including confidence, positivity, calm and focus – to see how different sports impact how they think and feel.
This data will feed into a live global study, capturing individual Mind Uplifts from around the world and visually transforming them into a dynamic and interactive World Uplift Map. The map will quantify the positive impact that sport is having on the collective mood of cities, nations and the world as a whole. Through the live study, ASICS will deepen its understanding of the relationship between movement and the mind on a global scale, underpinning its belief that sport has the power to uplift minds all over the world.
“As we all come to terms with a much-changed world in the wake of the pandemic, the uplifting power of sport is a constant that endures,” says Yasuhito Hirota, president and COO of ASICS. “That’s why our sole ambition is to empower as many people as possible to experience the physical and mental benefits of movement. By taking part in any number of our different events and activities running across the year, you’ll contribute to vital research to help us further understand the uplifting effect of sport. That way we can continue finding new ways to highlight and unlock the benefits for everyone in 2022 and beyond.”
Over the past six months, ASICS has conducted scientific research alongside world-renowned experts to explore the impact of sport on the mind among a select group of athletes ahead of the live study’s wider rollout.
The preliminary study was developed by EMOTIV, a bioinformatics company headquartered in San Francisco, with the support of Dr. Brendon Stubbs, an exercise and mental health researcher based at King’s College London. The study used a combination of electroencephalogram (EEG) and self-report data collection to prove the positive impact of running on the mind across a number of core cognitive and emotional metrics – including confidence (14.4% average increase immediately after exercise), energy (+9.7%) and relaxation (+13.3%) * – among a sample of 42 elite and everyday athletes.
Now ASICS is applying the findings in a way that will enable the rollout of the study on a global scale, permitting athletes everywhere to see and experience the impact of movement on the mind first-hand for any one of 25 different sports of their choosing
“Our preliminary research findings outline the profound impact that something as simple as a 20-minute run can have on our minds,” says Dr. Stubbs. “With exercise playing such a valuable role in maintaining of our mental health and wellbeing, it is more important than ever that people can see and understand the positive link between the two. The unique way in which we are applying our initial findings using robust EEG measures, validating the Mind Uplifter, will enable the translation of this research for people everywhere to experience and reliably measure the uplifting power of sport like never before. Our ambition is to inspire as many people as possible to move their mind and reap those all-important cognitive and emotional benefits for themselves.”
The project kicks off on Global Running Day 2021, with ASICS challenging runners everywhere to use the Mind Uplifter to capture their pre- and post-run mental wellbeing before sharing their results on social media using #UpliftingMinds. Runners can take part directly or get active alongside thousands of runners around the world by taking part in the WORLD UPLIFTING MINDS RUN, available via the Race Roster and ASICS Runkeeper™ apps throughout June.
As well as running, ASICS will host a series of other sporting events across the year to encourage wider participation and demonstrate the power of all sports to uplift the mind.
To get involved, and join the world’s first live study into the impact of movement on the mind, runners should follow thee steps:
- GO to minduplifter.asics.com to capture their Mind Uplift.
- SCAN their face to read their emotional state.
- ANSWER scientifically-developed questions to gauge brain function.
- COMPLETE at least 20 minutes of exercise to uplift the mind.
- REPEAT steps two and three.
- GET Mind Uplift results and SHARE them on their social channels.
- SEE how your results contribute to the World Uplift Map (from July 1).
