Do jugglers have bigger brains?
James Craig
Published Jan 13, 2026
Juggling most certainly does not make your brain bigger. As with earlier studies, jugglers had significantly higher grey matter density in the hMT/V5 and intraparietal sulcus. While these are the same areas that are increased in density in newly practising jugglers, the mechanisms might be different.
Does juggling make you smarter?
Juggling boosts brain development. Research indicates that learning to juggle accelerates the growth of neural connections related to memory, focus, movement, and vision. The beneficial changes persist even after weeks without practice.
Which region of the brain is enlarged in jugglers?
Arne May and colleagues at the University of Regensburg in Germany, people who spent three months learning to juggle showed enlargement of certain areas in the cerebral cortex, the thin sheet of nerve cells on the brain's surface where most higher thought processes seem to be handled.
Does juggling make your brain bigger?
A new study published in the journal Nature finds that learning to juggle may cause certain areas of your brain to grow. The finding challenges conventional wisdom the structure of the brain cannot change except through aging and disease. Previous studies have shown learning can result in changes in brain activity.
What part of the brain is used when juggling?
However, at the second brain scan, a significant expansion was found in two areas (the mid-temporal area and left posterior intraparietal sulcus) within the brains of jugglers. These two areas of the brain are important for processing information related to moving objects.
34 related questions foundDoes juggling help dyslexia?
Juggling improves brain function, reading ability, hand eye coordination, dyslexia and similar learning styles. Plus it's a great physical activity that can be enjoyed by all ages.
What do jugglers do?
juggler, (from Latin joculare, “to jest”), entertainer who specializes in balancing and in feats of dexterity in tossing and catching items such as balls, plates, and knives.
Does juggling increase grey matter?
The group scanned the jugglers' brains again after four weeks without juggling. They found that the new white matter had stayed put and the amount of grey matter had even increased.
Does juggling increase white matter?
Learning to juggle leads to changes in the white matter of the brain, an Oxford University study has shown.
What is grey matter?
Grey matter (or gray matter) makes up the outermost layer of the brain and is pinkish grey in tone, hence the name grey matter. It gets its grey tone from the high concentration of neuronal cell bodies in contains. Grey matter also contains unmyelinated axons.
Is it hard to juggle?
Juggling is a challenging but rewarding hobby; studies show that people who learn to juggle increase their brains' grey matter! While juggling may seem and be difficult to master at first, it becomes easier once you've learned the basics and practiced it.
How do you juggle with 3 balls?
To start, you'll throw with the hand holding two balls. It starts just like the 2 ball exercise: Throw a ball up, then throw the second ball when the first one comes down. But this time, as the second ball is coming down, you throw the third ball!
How does learning change the brain?
Learning changes the physical structure of the brain. These structural changes alter the functional organization of the brain; in other words, learning organizes and reorganizes the brain. Different parts of the brain may be ready to learn at different times.
Are tennis balls good for juggling?
Don't use good tennis balls, as you will be destroying them. You don't need them to bounce anyway, and the less they bounce the easier it is to pick up dropped balls!
Is juggling a continuous skill?
Finally, juggling is a continuous skill because there is no defined start or end point the performer decides when to start and finish.
Is juggling good for boxing?
Clearly, juggling won't turn you into the next Willie Pep, but it can improve many of the physical and mental qualities that are required to become an elusive fighter. You must remain relaxed as you react to objects that move up and down, and on each side of you.
Does juggling improve hand eye coordination?
Juggling is one of the greatest ways to train hand-eye coordination and shortening your response time. Juggling requires you to simultaneously focus on multiple airborne items while keeping track of what's cycling through your hands without actually glancing at them.
Is juggling important in football?
The ability to juggle will help your confidence, passing and first touch. During youth games, the ball is in the air a lot. Players who can juggle will most likely feel confident to control it out of the air. Often in futbol, the first touch has to be from a bouncing ball or coming from a long ball or punt.
What is cognitive juggling?
Juggling is an ancient acrobatic art which trains the brain. It specifically harmonizes/synchronizes neurological processes across both cerebral hemispheres of the brain.
Does juggling build muscle?
Juggling uses a lot of muscles including anterior shoulders, biceps, chest and core. The major opposing muscles I work on is my upper back and posterior shoulders. Two exercises I like to use are Standing Wall Reaches and Scarecrow to External Rotation. Both of the exercises are similar and work well for me.
Does studying increase gray matter?
Summary: A study provides new evidence of an association between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain health, particularly in gray matter and total brain volume -- regions of the brain involved with cognitive decline and aging.
Does learning increase gray matter?
The data confirmed our earlier observation using a mean effects analysis and in addition showed that learning to juggle can alter gray matter in the occipito-temporal cortex as early as after 7 days of training. Neither performance nor exercise alone could explain these changes.
Are jugglers clowns?
They dont consider themselves clowns, or even circus performers. They are jugglers, plain and simple. Their primary job is to make great theater using the art of throwing and catching objects.
Where do jugglers work?
The venues for jugglers vary, from festivals and fairs, to the circus, the theatre, casinos, and street performances.
Is 2 balls considered juggling?
In this article you will find out how to juggle two balls. Technically, this is not really juggling, it is however, the first step in learning how to juggle. First, practice throwing one ball in a simple arch from one hand to the other, about eye-high, in a plane in front of your body. Then, pick up a second ball.