The effect of chronic aerobic exercise on working memory: a study on young adults

Physical activity is essential for optimal health. Cognitive function is a major part of that, and can be evaluated through working memory (WM). This thesis examines the impact of physical activity on WM in young adult college students. It reviews existing research on exercise and WM, highlights gaps in the literature focused on this demographic, and explores the importance of chronic and moderate to high-intensity exercise to WM. There is existing research that examines the correlation of WM and physical activity for both acute and chronic exercise, as well as for children, adults, and older adults. Acute aerobic exercise shows minimal positive effects on WM, while chronic aerobic exercise shows more significant impacts on WM (Borrega-Alonso and Toamendi, 2025; Li et al., 2024; Hsieh et al, 2021). In addition, sleep and stress are also aspects that play a significant role in WM and cognitive abilities (Schwabe et al., 2008; Killgore, 2025; Frenda & Fenn, 2016; Saroha et al., 2025). This study used the reverse and forward digit span test to assess WM in college individuals aged 18–23. Each participant was asked how much sleep they obtained the night prior, their current stress level (1-10), their sex, and what their average amount of moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise was per week. Each person was classified as active or inactive based on self-reported exercise. Data was collected, made anonymous, and analyzed using an independent t-test. Ethical approval was obtained, though self-reporting and other lifestyle factors posed limitations. 41 participants were in this study, 20 in the active group 1 and 21 in the inactive group 2. There was no statistically significant difference found between activity level, sleep, or stress and WM in young adults. Despite there being no statistically significant differences in the study, the active group had an average higher digit span score. This higher score may have failed to reach a statistically significant value due to the small sample size as well as the variability of the data. Other studies have shown that stress and sleep influence WM and overall cognitive ability (Schwabe et al., 2008; Killgore, 2025; Frenda & Fenn, 2016; Saroha et al., 2025). In addition, current literature suggests that chronic aerobic exercise positively influences WM and overall cognitive ability in both children and adults (Borrega-Alonso and Toamendi, 2025; Li et al., 2024; Hsieh et al; 2021; Verhaeghen et al., 2019; Looser et al., 2024; Raichlen & Polk, 2015; Concepcion et al., 2014).