This is your brain on jogs: Running may improve brain health the same way as playing a musical instrument. Researchers out of the University of Arizona performed brain scans on students on the cross country team and compared them to students who just can’t even. Turns out, regular runners (like Jessica who can’t stop Snapchatting about it) had increased brain activity in the frontoparietal network– an area that is associated with complex functions like those used to nail a John Legend piano break. We think it has something to do with the repeated dual activation of cognitive and motor domains in the brain. Over time, these connections are strengthened just like the muscles we use to run.