Exercise Makes You Feel Happy

21 February 2012

Being active today makes you feel better today — not just in the long run. That is the finding from Penn State researchers David Conroy, Amanda Hyde, and colleagues, published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

They asked 190 university students to keep daily diaries for eight days, recording episodes of free-time physical activity lasting at least 15 minutes (marked mild, moderate, or vigorous), their sleep quantity and quality, perceived stress, and their mental states. The team sorted the feeling states into four buckets: pleasant-activated (excitement, enthusiasm), pleasant-deactivated (satisfaction, relaxation), unpleasant-activated (anxiety, anger), and unpleasant-deactivated (depression, sadness).

Two patterns emerged. People who were more physically active overall reported more pleasant-activated feelings — more excitement and enthusiasm — than less active people. And on any given day, participants reported more pleasant-activated feelings on days when they were more active than their own usual level. The researchers ruled out alternative explanations such as sleep quality.

"You don't have to be the fittest person who is exercising every day to receive the feel-good benefits of exercise," Conroy said. "It's a matter of taking it one day at a time, of trying to get your activity in, and then there's this feel-good reward afterwards."

Conroy also suggested the activation angle might explain why exercise is often described as effective against depression but less so against anxiety: "People dealing with anxious symptoms don't need an increase in activation. If anything, they might want to bring it down some."

The authors' practical suggestion: stop thinking in New Year's-resolution terms and start thinking day by day. If you want a boost today, do some moderate-to-vigorous activity — the reward follows.

The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Penn State Social Science Research Institute.

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This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Exercise is one tool among many for mental health; if you are struggling with depression or anxiety, professional support can help.