Learning to juggle permanently improves the part of the brain that is linked to coordination.Researchers scanned the brains of 48 college students, and then had half of them practice juggling for 30 minutes a day for six weeks. A subsequent scan revealed that the jugglers, when compared to the control group, grew a significant amount of white matter in the part of their parietal lobe which connects vision to movement.
Surprisingly, the transformation occurred regardless of whether the students became any good at juggling. And more follow-up brain scans showed that the increased white matter remained even when the students stopped practicing. Now, researchers hope to figure out ways to use juggling to help rehab those with brain injuries.
So it turns out juggling is actually useful. Still, it's no excuse for being a mime.
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