Neuroscientist Says Driving a Manual Contributes to Brain Health

We’re big believers in the mental health benefits of cars. We’re well aware of the mind-clearing benefits of going for a drive, tinkering with an engine, or even just going to a show to look at some pretty cars. However, a new study in Japan suggests that one particular aspect of driving brings not just an immediate mental health boost but long-term benefits to the overall health of the brain: driving a manual.

The study comes from Japanese neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima, a professor in the Department of Functional Brain Imaging at Tohoku University. You might know him better as the face of Nintendo’s Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training puzzle game franchise.

Kawashima’s research focuses on brain imaging, the development of brain functions and the prevention of dementia. His latest study, first reported by Japanese publication Best Car, concludes that when driving a three-pedal car, the simultaneous balance of controlling the pedals and gear knob, as well as the need to be extra aware of one’s surroundings, activates the prefrontal cortex more intensely than driving an automatic. That’s the part of the brain that allows us to process and change our thinking and deals with functions including speech, memory and risk analysis.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that driving a manual requires more careful thought than driving an automatic, but it’s undoubtedly fascinating to hear from a respected neuroscientist that it can have active health benefits, even potentially helping to prevent dementia later in life. Kawashima also mentions manually shifted motorbikes as having the same benefits.

Of course, with the general improvements in automatic transmissions and rise of electrification making manuals increasingly redundant, the number of new cars sold with three pedals is rapidly shrinking around the world. Best Car says that in Japan, manuals now make up just one to two per cent of the new car market. Here in Britain, meanwhile, a study said that in 2023, just 29 per cent of registered cars had three pedals, down from 51 per cent in 2019.

While we don’t expect to see a sudden resurgence in manual gearbox off the back of this study, perhaps it’ll spur a few more people on to pick an H-pattern car.