How Lifestyle Choices Shape Young Adults' Self-Aware Cognition

Young adults' ability to think about their own thinking, a skill known as metacognition, may be influenced by what they eat, how much they move, and how well they sleep. This capacity, which includes strategies like planning or monitoring one's thoughts, might vary with physical activity, diet, and sleep patterns. In a recent study, researchers explored this connection among healthy young adults. The participants shared information about their activities, meals, and sleep over the past month, and filled out questionnaires about their metacognitive abilities. Using statistical methods, the researchers discovered four areas of metacognition that were sensitive to lifestyle habits. For instance, knowing how to manage thoughts offline, like planning tasks, was linked to physical activity. Controlling thoughts in the moment, such as focusing during a task, was tied to diet. And worry about one's thoughts was related to sleep patterns. This suggests that being active, eating well, and sleeping enough doesn't just help cognitive tasks, but also affects how we strategize and regulate our thinking processes.