Suppose you are at a baseball game—crack! The ball rockets your way, and without thinking you extend your palm to shield your face. Your reaction time test speed is on display—a lightning-fast handshake between your nerves and your muscles. While some people boast about it, others find their talents the hard way—usually involving flying items at family events.
A reaction time test functions for your brain as something of a carnival game. You might grab a ruler your friend lets drop or click a mouse the instant a form flashes on screen. Obviously more difficult than it sounds. Your nervous system is running a stopwatch; even a blink can send your “score” into turtle land.
Why bother you wonder? Because life is full of little events where a split second might make all the difference. Levers for unbelievable saves by soccer goalies? Gamers landing those absolutely flawless headshots? Every one of them is riding on well calibrated reflexes. For a brief moment, even evading a spilled drink at a party might make you feel like a Ninja.
Many things jumble those fast responses. One major factor is age; children are generally faster than adults, and over time our reflexes become somewhat rusty. Pull an all-night and you will seem as though you are submerged. Though you won’t get instant superpowers, coffee can somewhat sharpen you. There is also the part genes play. Some people have to labor a little bit more; others are naturally zapped into action.
Think twice if you believe that reflex testing is exclusive for athletes. There are ridiculous, compulsive reaction time games all over the web. Enter a challenge with friends; the winner gets bragging rights and the loser provides dessert. You will be surprised, trust me, by how competitive people get about cutting off 0.02 seconds. Advanced settings are used even by sports trainers and scientists to drive professionals straight to their brink and squeeze out every last instant.
Is your reaction time able to be improved? Sort of. Practice helps sink the skills deeper into your bones, much as in learning a song or improving your jump shot. You will move somewhat more smoothly and a little faster. But unlike a kung fu master, you should not expect to grab flies out of thin air. Those brain signals can only fly down your nerves at a limited speed.
Even trying reaction tests helps you to improve your concentration. When you find yourself slow at your desk, set a five-minute challenge and see whether your brain wakes up. Just by varying their schedule, drivers, gamers, and office workers stand to have a tiny edge. Who knew? At least in cases involving cookies, you may find you are faster than you believed.
Ready for a test? Try the traditional ruler drop with a buddy or test yourself online with one of the zillions of free reaction quizzes available. And, if your time isn’t Olympic-level, relax not too much. Maybe your reflexes will save you from a fleeing squirrel—or at least from missing the final piece of pizza next time.