Some Lockerroom readers know about my affection for the regular meetings of the Shaftesbury Society. Luncheon speakers provide thoughtful ? oftentimes entertaining, and occasionally provocative ? presentations on a wide range of topics. However, until I saw this post by economist and polymath Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution, I didn?t realize that it could be good for my health too.

European physiologists posit that the breathing patterns encouraged by reciting Homer?s Iliad are heart-healthy. As Time Europe recounts:

It turns out that reciting poetry ? especially verse like Homer’s that follows a specific rhythm called hexameter ? makes an excellent breathing exercise. The authors of the study taught healthy volunteers to recite passages from Homer while walking and lifting their arms with each breath. The result was an increase in the synchronization of certain cardiorespiratory patterns that is believed to be favorable to the long-term prognosis of cardiac patients.

Last month, a Shaftesbury speaker was Dr. David Frauenfelder talking about, yep, you guessed it, ?The Illiad of Homer: The Bible of the Greeks.? Now, if I could only figure out once and for all if it is spelled Illiad or Iliad.