Physical Activity and Mood

It turns out that intensive training to exhaustion is much more useful for mood than a moderate one.


This conclusion has been made while observing 11 volunteers. They were asked to participate in two 20-minute trainings. One of them was not very intense, but the other was characterized by high physical loading. The mood of the participants of the experiment was assessed before, during, immediately after the training, and 20 minutes after it.

Immediately after the training with a moderate intensity, the mood of the volunteers did not improve. But after 20 minutes of strenuous training, they said they felt more positive. According to Nicholas Smith of the University of Manchester, this discovery should be important for psychologists, coaches, and the people who are involved in trainings. The psychiatrists relate this phenomenon to the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters that help to cope with pain.