Study shows driving a manual transmission is good for your brain

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odie

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Miss driving the 4 speed and 5 speed manuals of the past . Cars include '86 Chevy Nova ( Toyota Corolla ) liftback , '99 Chevrolet Prism ( Corolla ) . '07 Toyota Yaris 3 door hatch , a few Ford ( Mazda 121 ) Festivas' , Dodge Colts / Plymouth Champ '80 - '92 hatchbacks , Eagle Summit sedan and a Ford Escort '97 (?) . Did help with thinking and kept you more alert ( engaged ) with the surroundings .

https://www.autoguide.com/auto/auto...a-stick-shift-is-good-for-your-brain-44634628
 
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this ^^^^. It all becomes second nature. It only requires thought when you go back to an automatic. Tuck that left leg back so it doesn't push the brake pedal through the floor.
 
Drove all my life in Southern California traffic. I did not miss a manual transmission whatsoever. Except for maybe decreased repair costs-there are zero benefits. I am currently driving down I-80 from Salt Lake City to Reno area. There were several 5,000 foot passes. The truck (2023-Silverado-5.3) was is tow haul with the cruise control on towing my 5,000 pound travel trailer. The power train required no intervention from me. The down shifts were seamless. GM did a great job on the ten speed transmission.
 
Using paper maps, and figuring out navigation without the aid of navigation apps is also good for your brain, according to a study I read a long time ago.

They found that a significant number of connections between the neurons in the brain disconnect, when people quit using maps for navigation, and instead rely solely on navigation apps, where we no longer have to calculate distances, routes, highway numbers, and such.

I've often wondered, even if those particular connections are gone, as life evolves and I now can use that time that I used to have to spend, mulling over paper maps to plan a vacation, for other things, wouldn't there be new connections in my brain elsewhere, for my new interests?

Life changes.
 
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tcp71 said:
this ^^^^. It all becomes second nature. It only requires thought when you go back to an automatic. Tuck that left leg back so it doesn't push the brake pedal through the floor.
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I had a 5MT Sonata and it went to dealer for some warranty stuff. They gave me a loaner Sonata. Driving home Saturday AM from work, kind of tired on auto pilot and wife wanted bagels. Luckily no one was behind me when I went to turn of highway at green light. I went to push clutch in to drop to 2nd and that extra wide brake pedal was in the way.

Quick wake up call.
 
fantastic said:
So I can be easier on my brain by driving an automatic. Sounds good to me. 😜
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I watched a video the other day where a geriatrician (a physician who specializes in old people) said that her healthiest patients were those who had not had an easy life and who also continued to challenge themselves both mentally and physically.

So easier on the brain may not be better.
 
I think people who learn to drive automatics and develop the habit of right foot gas/ left foot brake are more likely to end up in an unintended acceleration crash than someone who has driven a vehicle with a manual and ingrained left foot clutch only into muscle memory.
 
If this makes a difference for your brain, you need to get off the couch and get out more, LOL.

Maybe the conclusion is that fun is good for the brain. Driving a manual most certainly is more fun.

I can´t see myself without one. My 2007 Vette and 2018 Wrangler are both manuals. And both are a blast to drive.
 
BHopkins said:
Using paper maps, and figuring out navigation without the aid of navigation apps is also good for your brain, according to a study I read a long time ago.

They found that a significant number of connections between the neurons in the brain disconnect, when people quit using maps for navigation, and instead rely solely on navigation apps, where we no longer have to calculate distances, routes, highway numbers, and such.

I've often wondered, even if those particular connections are gone, as life evolves and I now can use that time that I used to have to spend, mulling over paper maps to plan a vacation, for other things, wouldn't there be new connections in my brain elsewhere, for my new interests?

Life changes.
Click to expand...
I wonder how many connections AI will cause us to lose?
Just so gambling doesn't fill in the gaps, I think we'll be fine.
 
I wonder if people who drive a lot in city traffic, and replace their stick shift for an automatic, have lower blood pressure due to less stress and anger issues. :unsure: :LOL:
 
BHopkins said:
Using paper maps, and figuring out navigation without the aid of navigation apps is also good for your brain, according to a study I read a long time ago.
Click to expand...

I've used sat nav only twice in the last 18 months and both times only because I was lost due to a detour from the intended route. Planning the optimum route on a long trip is part of the fun. Been driving a 6 speed manual for the last 18 months too after 26 years in autos.

I have a theory about auto vs manual. Attempt to produce large capacity auto motorcycles have generally been a failure yet the opposite is true for cars - why is that ? I think it's because changing gear on a good motorcycle is so easy using small movements of feet and hands that it feels effortless and becomes part of the art of riding a motorcycle. A manual car with a heavy clutch and a long throw recalcitrant gear lever feels very hard work by comparison. A really good short throw lever and a light clutch goes a long way to making a manual transmission in a car enjoyable.

But there's also another difference in that a motorcycle gear change is sequential with the gear lever moving only up or down. If manual cars used a sequential gear change rather than a H pattern lever then manual transmissions might be more popular. They do this in rally cars because it makes gear changing much faster so why couldn't it be done for normal road cars.

Manual cars can be enjoyable but not in stop/start traffic and the more common that driving environment has become the more an auto box shows it's benefits.
 
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