It is logical that footballers are in excellent physical condition but what you may not know is that a professional center forward must stand out for exceptional cognitive skills, according to a research group at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden). The scientists compared the intellectual performance of the footballers of the first division teams of the Nordic country league with players of lower divisions and with ‘normal’ individuals in the population.
Executive functions of the brain to cope with the unexpected
The study showed a notable difference between the groups analyzed, especially with regard to the so-called ‘ executive functions of the brain ‘: a term that is often used to describe the cognitive processes that regulate thought and action, especially in non-routine situations . Examples of executive functions would be problem solving, planning, sequencing, selective attention, inhibition, multitasking, cognitive flexibility, and the ability to manage novel situations.
In the case of a soccer player , the greater the ‘scoring nose’ (taking into account their position on the field), the better results they offer in psychological tests designed to assess executive functions. This type of intelligence encompasses several cognitive skills, including coordination between thought and action, the mental flexibility to instantly correct a decision based on what other players are doing, and creative problem solving in changing situations.
Footballers handle a lot of information and solve a complex situation in a short period of time, for example, receiving a ball and kicking towards where it was intended, or letting it pass for a better situated teammate to control. This type of ‘decisive intelligence’ is not exclusively linked to sport and can be transferred to everyday life.
“Success in ball sports depends on how information is processed in complex and rapidly changing contexts,” the authors explain. “Players must process a large amount of information at all times. They must constantly evaluate the situation, compare it with past experiences, think of new possibilities, make quick decisions and inhibit other decisions that have been made just as quickly.”
So where does the typical cliché of the cheap footballer , unable to express himself with elegance, come from? One possible explanation would be that executive functions have nothing to do with verbal skills; so it is no wonder that even sports ‘great geniuses’ stutter when in front of the cameras.
This study also suggests that, when selecting potential soccer promises, other aspects should be looked at beyond physical ability or skill in controlling the ball. The authors propose the design of neuropsychological tests to evaluate the executive functions of the candidates.
The work was published in the journal PLOS ONE .
Referencia: Vestberg et al. 2012. Executive Functions Predict the Success of Top-Soccer Players. PLoS ONE 7(4)
