Scientists have proven the relationship between physical activity and good mood
The largest meta-analysis of the impact of daily movement on emotional state in history has confirmed that most people feel better when they move during the day, and vice versa, they are more active when their mood is higher. This was reported on May 6 in the journal Medical Xpress.
"It has long been known that physical activity has a positive effect on well-being, but before that we only had data from laboratory and cross-sectional studies. Now we can confirm this connection in real everyday conditions," said project coordinator, Professor Markus Reichert from the Ruhr University Bochum.
The study combined data from 67 international scientific groups. Collectively, the scientists processed more than 300,000 mood self—assessment questionnaires from 8,000 participants, making the work the most extensive and comprehensive analysis of the relationship between movement and mood in everyday life to date. In contrast to laboratory conditions, during the work, the real activity of the subjects was recorded — walking, climbing stairs, household chores — using smartphones and similar devices.
The authors studied several parameters of emotional well-being: positive and negative affect, energy and calmness. Overall affective well-being showed a positive correlation with both previous and subsequent physical activity. The only exception was calmness: before or after physical exertion, participants felt less calm than at rest. The most stable result was an indicator of energy — more than 95% of the participants felt a surge of strength before or after the movement.
The authors highlighted the differences between people. Although the majority of participants noted an improvement in mood during physical activity, some had a decrease in mood before or after exercise. The study also showed that people with initially low levels of emotional well-being receive special benefits from movement.
"Our work shows that people with low levels of well—being particularly benefit from physical activity," said Professor Onur Guntürkün from the Ruhr University.
The authors emphasize that the study captures a correlation, but not a cause-and-effect relationship. To confirm that it is movement that causes mood improvement, and not the other way around, interventional studies in real conditions are needed. Only on their basis will it be possible to develop full-fledged programs for strengthening mental health through daily activity.
On April 29, the journal Medical Xpress reported that Brazilian scientists from the Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) have found that swimming is more effective than running in promoting healthy growth of the heart muscle and improving its contractility.
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