Exercise & Mood
By: Nichole Chevalier
Mood enhancement persists
for up to 12 hours following
aerobic exercise: A pilot study. Perceptual
And Motor Skills
Sibold, J. S., & Berg, K. M. (2010)
Hypothesis
If one participates in moderate intensity
aerobic activity then their mood will be
positively effected for as long as 12 to 24
hours post activity.
Variables
Independent
- Level 1: No Exercise (control group)
- Level 2: Exercise Group
Dependent
-Scores reported on the mood inventory
Participants
48 Healthy College Students between the ages of 18-25
-35 Females
-13 Males
Recruited through signage posted in buildings and residence halls on a
college campus.
Exclusions…
-Anyone with psychological disorders
-Anyone using psychoactive drugs
-Anyone with a history of physical illness or injury
-Anyone under the age of 18 or over the age of 25
Procedure
Part 1: Physical Readiness Assessment
-Readiness for physical activity was tested through the PAR-Q
-Aerobic capacity was tested using a Fitmate Pro metabolic
system and a Polar Vantage XL heart rate monitor
-Participants completed an exercise test on a stationary cycle
-Based on the results of a self-report of activity level participants
were assigned to different exercise conditions
-Peak heart rate was measured and used to estimate the heart
rate target for the exercise intervention
-A lower to moderate intensity was selected
Procedure (cont.)
Part 2: Assessment of mood
-Mood was assessed using the Profile of Mood StatesBrief Form
-30 inventory items with subscales
-rated from 0-4
-Scores are calculated by adding the totals of the five
negative moods and then subtracting them from the Vigor
score
-Participants were asked to complete the inventory in
respect to how they felt “right now”
Procedure (cont.)
Part 3: Physical Assessment
-Participants put on a heart rate monitor and a silicone
facemask which was attached to a metabolic analyzer
-Cycling rules and criteria were reviewed with the
participants
-There was a two minute warm-up
-Resistance was added incrementally every minute
-Perceived exertion was recorded every two minutes
-Following the test participants were allowed to cool down
until their heart rate reached a normal level
Procedure (cont.)
Part 4
-Participants came to the lab no less then 3 days after the first visit
-At the second visit participants completed the mood inventory and were assigned to
either an exercise condition or a control group
-Only one participant was allowed in the lab at a time
-Participants in the control condition sat quietly in the lab for 20 minutes
-Participants in the exercise condition cycled for 20 minutes on a stationary bike
-Immediately after the exercise or control condition the mood inventory was completed
-The subjects were then asked to complete the inventory 1,2,4,8,12, and 24 hours post
exercise
-The times were written on the inventory and an e-mail reminder was sent to subjects
prior to the times
-Participants handed in the inventories the next day at the lab
-They received a modest financial compensation for participation and return of the
completed inventories
Results
-The group that participated in aerobic exercise had a
significantly lower mean total mood disturbance score
-Significant differences were seen immediately
following exercise
-Sex or fitness level had no effect on mood
-Moderate aerobic exercise resulted in acute
improvements in overall mood
What does this mean?
• Moderate physical exercise helps to improve one’s
overall mood
• Exercise can be beneficial to one’s mental health
• People who are feeling stressed or dealing with
negative emotions should try to exercise
• It is important to incorporate exercise into our
schedule as often as we can
The mood-enhancing benefits of
exercise: Memory biases
augment the effect.
Anderson, R. J., & Brice, S. (2011)
Hypothesis
Participants who exercise will exhibit actual
mood benefits when comparing pre- and
post-exercise reports of current mood in
addition to having an enhanced perception
of mood benefits post-exercise.
Variables
Independent
- Level 1: No Exercise (control group)
- Level 2: Exercise Group
Dependent
-Participant’s Mood
Participants
40 Regular Exercisers: At least two 30 minute sessions per week
-20 Females
-20 Males
Participants we between the ages of 18-25
They were recruited by sampling various sports clubs in the North East
of England
Procedure
-Participants were informed the study was examining the impact of various activities on
mood
-Prior to activity the participants completed ISP of Mood States Questionnaire
-Participants in the exercise condition had to jog lightly for 10 minutes
-Participants in the non-exercise group had to complete a word search for 10 minutes
-Participants completed the tasks in groups of 2-3
-Immediately after the activities both groups completed the ISP
-Half of each group was then asked to complete the ISP a second time
-The first time they reported their current mood
-The second time they were asked to recall their mood pre-activity
-Participants were asked to try and not remember the responses they put on the
original ISP but to remember how they felt before the activity
-All conditions took place when the weather was fine and dry and distractions were
minimized
Results
-There was significant mood enhancement in the
exercise group compared to the non-exercise group
-Participants retrospective estimates of pre-activity
mood state were favorably distorted with respect to
mood enhancement
-Recalling past affective states only altered the mood
of the subjects in the exercise condition
What does this mean?
• Exercise affects mood in a positive way
• Post exercise the mood of someone at the time they
recall something effects how they recall the
information
-If you are happy you may favorably distort
information
-Post exercise people have a memory bias
 Expectations can make us believe that things are
happening even when they are not (placebo effect)
Questions?