Psychological

Exercise can have positive psychological benefits on an individual. A study done by Hansen (2001) breaks down psychological benefit based on positive and negative effects. Exercise has a positive effect on mood, while reducing fatigue and additional negative effects in individuals. There were 20 participants who were college students ranging from 20-26 years old. Participants answered health and exercise questionnaires prior to testing. The intervention included three exercise trials: 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes on a bicycle at 60% heart rate (Hansen, Stevens, & Coast, 2001). The analysis revealed that mood and fatigue improved in as little as 10 minutes of exercise and continued increasing as duration increased (Hansen et al., 2001). Exercising for a short period of time can benefit overall mood and reduce symptoms of depression. This concludes that individuals with depression can improve their quality of life by doing as little as 10 minutes of physical activity.

Another study found that an individual’s psychological mood can improve utilizing physical activity (Mata, Hogan, Joormann, Waugh, & Gotlib, 2001). Mata examined 41 women recovering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and forty healthy women. The participants were randomly assigned to either exercise for 15 minutes or quiet. After the intervention, participants were exposed to two sad mood inductions and reported their levels of negativity. The study found that exercising participants who were recovering from MDD, showed no increase in negative emotions and mood. In addition, they showed increased positive emotion when compared to non-exercisers.