Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – Exercise is frequently linked to improved mental health, but a new study from the University of Georgia indicates that it’s not just the act of moving your body that matters.
The impact on mental well-being depends largely on how, where, and why you engage in physical activity.
Patrick O’Connor, a co-author of the study and professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the Mary Frances Early College of Education pointed out that in the past, research on physical activity has mostly concentrated on factors like duration or calories burned. He stated that researchers have mainly looked at the ‘dosage’ of exercise to understand its effects on mental health, often overlooking whether the activity was done socially, like playing a sport or working out with a friend.
Although studies indicate that physical activities done during free time — such as jogging, attending a yoga session, or cycling for enjoyment — are linked to improved mental health, researchers emphasize that the surrounding conditions and environment in which these activities occur can greatly influence their impact.
To better understand these influences, the researchers examined three categories of studies: broad epidemiological studies tracking health trends across populations, randomized controlled trials comparing groups that exercised with those that did not, and a smaller but expanding body of research focused on the context in which physical activity takes place.
A variety of studies show that individuals who regularly engage in recreational physical activity often experience fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, the mental health effects are less certain when it comes to other types of physical effort, such as housework or manual labor like landscaping. In these cases, the setting and purpose of the activity may be just as important as how long or how hard someone exercises.
O’Connor, stated that for instance a soccer player who sprints across the field and scores the winning goal likely feels elated. But if someone else performs the same movement and misses the goal, drawing criticism from others, their mental state might be quite different. He further pointed out that these examples show how the situation around an activity can influence how it affects mental health — even when the physical exertion is the same.
Researchers of the study pointed out that many randomized controlled trials have also found that sticking to a regular exercise routine can improve mental health, particularly for people already dealing with mental health conditions. However, these studies often involved small, short-term, and relatively uniform participant groups, making it unlikely that the findings apply broadly to more diverse populations.
“The average effects on mental health are small across all the randomized controlled studies of exercise, and that’s partly because most of the studies focused on people who were not depressed or anxious — you do get bigger effects in those studies,” said O’Connor. “We’re communicating to scientists that larger- and longer-term controlled studies are needed to make a compelling case whether exercise does, or does not, truly impact mental health.”
The area where our understanding is weakest — but potentially most impactful — involves the surrounding circumstances of physical activity. The same workout can feel completely different depending on who you’re with, and the setting, timing, and manner in which it takes place.
Context can include social interactions, the personality or approach of the instructor, or environmental factors like the temperature or time of day. O’Connor pointed out that if you’re walking to work in the heat, that’s part of the overall experience. He further indicated that if we are in a group fitness class — sometimes you really connect with the instructor, other times you do not and that is part of the context too.
