[tankerdude]

So that would imply that people who actually must exercise for their job (construction workers) would have smarter children, on average? And how would that be measured if the child gets stuck in a poorly performing school and no real academic challenges?

[amelius]

Not smarter in absolute sense, just smarter than they would be without exercise, I suppose.

[JohnJamesRambo]

Exercise for work and exercise done for play may have different outcomes though. I remember reading George Sheehan’s Running and Being and he says dockworkers etc don’t seem to get the same health benefits from their work exercise. There’s something unique about it being for play.

[gamblor956]

Importantly, mice are exercised by being forced to run in wheels, i.e., cardio.

There have been studios in humans showing that cardio exercise has mental benefits, presumably in part due to increased blood flow to the brain. And anecdotally, among knowledge workers like lawyers and doctors, cardio exercise is disproportionately over-represented compared to average populations.

[chiefalchemist]

The last bit is interesting. But ya have to wonder which came first...the runner or the knowledge worker. Know what I mean?

[Jagat]

Maybe, unless there's a correlation (or inverse correlation) between smartness and those who must exercise for their job (vs those who don't).

Makes me think about the old question about those who have a higher paying mostly mental desk job. Is it because they're smarter (say through some genetic predisposition), or is it because of all the socioeconomic situations that led them to that job?

(Yes there are exceptions, like you, the one who's about to quote an anecdote. I'm talking about the majority)