A meta-analysis focused on healthy young adults found a small beneficial effect of acute physical activity on cognition, including decreased reaction time. A broader meta-review likewise concluded that acute exercise can influence cognitive performance, while emphasizing variation across protocols and outcomes.
That means “exercise improves reaction time” is best treated as an average research tendency rather than a guaranteed effect after every workout.
Very easy activity, moderate exercise and exhaustive effort do not place the body in the same state. A hard session may leave you overheated or fatigued, while a moderate warm-up may increase arousal without the same fatigue cost.
Studies use different exercise types, intensities and testing windows, which helps explain why results are not identical.
A temporary post-exercise improvement is different from a long-term change in reaction ability. Long-term physical activity may have broader health and cognitive benefits, but a single faster browser session cannot tell you whether your nervous system has permanently changed.
Likewise, getting better at Reaction Lab through repeated use can reflect task-specific practice.
For modes such as Choice, Fakeout and Moving Aim, track errors and accuracy as well as latency. Increased arousal might make you feel quicker while also making you more impulsive. A complete performance picture should include both.
Both, if you are doing a personal comparison. Keep the timing consistent across sessions.
No. Effects vary with intensity, fatigue, fitness and the cognitive task.
No. It measures browser game performance, not cardiovascular fitness or medical status.