Working memory is better after a barefoot run

Researchers from the University of North Florida found in 2016 that participants, after running a short course with flat targets to step on, had measurably better working memories when they performed the task barefoot.

Lately I've been going unshod. Initially, going barefoot was intimidating due to the fear of standing out, but then "nothing happened". I now find myself completely devoid of any inclination to wear them. It's fascinating the extent of sensory feedback the brain receives from exposing the nerves in the feet to the outer world. Each foot has thousands of nerve endings. They should be providing the brain with information about the world- as do our hands- yet from a young age we constantly wrap them in warm, cushioned, and stiff layers of socks and shoes. The equivalent is like wearing oven mitts in order to "protect" the hands every time one leaves the house.

Shoes have a protective role to play in certain harsh environments. However, prevalent foot problems such as plantar fasciitis and fallen arches are commonly only seen in shoe-wearing populations. The over-wearing of shoes may be doing more harm than good. I propose that due to capitalistic interests and historical correlations with upper class status, shoe-wearing has become socially required to an extent that does not serve the health of the average person.

Anyways, I firmly believe there are advantages to be gained from eschewing footwear, unless completely necessary. I will continue to go completely barefoot when possible, and have made my own mocassins for occasions where footwear is required. I'm also taking a perverse pleasure in committing social suicide and wearing "ugly" shoes that do not convey any form of social status. It has been liberating to deprogram my beliefs that "shoes are necessary and I must buy them" and "bad things will happen without shoes".