Children who exercise respond better to stressful situations, according to a new study. The Finnish study examined the habits of 258 8-year-olds, monitoring their activity levels through accelerometers. They asked their parents to swab their mouths for saliva several times a day. The saliva then was tested for cortisol, a chemical associated with stress. Researchers found that kids who exercised more had lower cortisol levels when they were in stressful situations, which suggests exercise might help protect kids from anxiety. Of course, advocates of physical education would say this is simply common sense. “It’s not a huge surprise that kids who are encouraged to be more active would be more relaxed,” says Russell R. Pate, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina. (New York Times)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.