For most individuals, mood was found to improve following everyday physical activity; conversely, people were found more likely to move when already feeling positive, says a new international study.
Key points
- A global study confirms that everyday physical activity is linked to improved mood and positive emotions.
- People tend to be more physically active when they are already feeling positive, creating a beneficial cycle.
- Increased energy levels are strongly associated with physical activity, with most participants reporting a boost.
- Individuals with lower initial well-being may experience the greatest mood benefits from physical activity.
An international study that analysed data from 67 research groups worldwide, involving over 300,000 real-time mood reports, about how physical activity is related to good mood and positive emotions has found that, for most people, mood improves with everyday movement.
The findings, published in the journal, Nature Human Behaviour, also show that people are more physically active when they are feeling better.
The link between physical activity and one's emotional state
Researchers, including those from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany and other institutes in Europe and the US, examined data from more than 8,000 participants collected through smartphones and wearable devices.
The tools allowed the researchers to capture how people felt and moved throughout their daily routines -- from walking and climbing stairs to household activities, they said.
'Within persons, PA (physical activity) displays a positive association with energetic arousal, positive affective states and valence, yet a negative relation to calmness,' the authors wrote.
'The practical effect sizes are comparable to other daily life activities, with energetic arousal evincing the strongest relation to PA,' they said.
The link between mood and energy levels
For most individuals, mood was found to improve following everyday physical activity; conversely, people were found more likely to move when already feeling positive.
Energy levels showed the strongest relationship, with more than 95 per cent of the participants reporting an increased energy around periods of activity.
Benefits for those with lower well-being
Individuals with a lower well-being to begin with experienced the greatest benefits from physical activity, the study found.
'This study reflects the growing importance of understanding health behaviours in real-world settings,' co-author Amanda Staiano of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, US, said.
'By incorporating data from diverse populations from around the world -- including participants studied here at Pennington Biomedical -- we're gaining a clearer picture of how even small amounts of daily movement can meaningfully impact how people feel,' Staiano said.
Implications and future research
Evidence from the study confirms a strong link between physical activity and well-being, previously shown in controlled, laboratory settings and cross-sectional (short-term) studies, the researchers said.
The study examines physical activity and well-being under natural, everyday conditions -- this was made possible by smartphones and wearables -- and helped the researchers distinguish between how activity affects individuals over time and how people compare to one another.
The researchers noted that more work is needed to determine causality and to understand why some individuals respond differently to exercise.
Future studies will aim to identify the personal and environmental factors that shape these responses, they said.
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