Professor Kawashima finds manual transmission driving stimulates brain activity more

Professor Ryuta Kawashima at Tohoku University has found that driving a car with a manual gearbox activates the brain more than driving an automatic. His research shows that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that handles memory, attention, and decision-making, becomes more active when drivers use a clutch and change gears themselves. This happens because the driver must coordinate several tasks at once, such as reading traffic, choosing the right gear, and managing the accelerator. Professor Kawashima previously created the science behind Nintendo's Brain Age game series. His new findings suggest that older people could benefit from driving a manual car regularly, as it may help protect against cognitive decline. In Japan, where the population is ageing, fewer than two percent of new cars sold have manual transmission.