Can Shoes Boost Your Brain? Neuroscience Debunks Marketing Claims
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News18•29-01-2026, 08:45
Can Shoes Boost Your Brain? Neuroscience Debunks Marketing Claims
- •Nike and other brands claim sensory footwear can activate the brain, heighten awareness, and improve concentration by stimulating foot receptors.
- •Neuroscience confirms feet have many sensory receptors linked to the brain's somatosensory cortex, influencing balance, posture, and movement.
- •Minimalist shoes can increase sensory feedback and improve balance for some, but excessive sensation might increase cognitive load rather than focus.
- •While sensory input activates brain regions, there's little evidence that passive foot stimulation significantly improves concentration in healthy adults.
- •Belief, expectation (placebo effect), and embodied cognition can influence how people perceive footwear benefits, even without direct cognitive enhancement.
Why It Matters: Neuroscience suggests sensory footwear influences body awareness and movement, but direct cognitive enhancement claims are largely unproven.
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