People who exercise regularly – whether competing in athletic events, attending fitness classes or working with a personal trainer – often believe they are both healthy and happy. However, it is important to note that being fit and being healthy are not the same thing. Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of disease or infirmity.
In the past, studies have shown a positive association between physical activity and happiness. However, the direction of this relationship remains unclear. To examine this, researchers asked adolescents to report on both happiness and the number of steps they took each day in a short questionnaire. This method of measuring both variables is prone to response set biases, and the results are likely to be inflated. Therefore, to investigate the direction of this association in a more accurate way, the present study uses accelerometers to continuously measure participants’ daily step count and an experience sampling methodology to ask about happiness at random moments throughout the day.
The results showed that a physically active lifestyle is associated with greater happiness in adolescents. Specifically, the number of steps taken per day was positively predicted by happiness sampled at random moments in time. Moreover, a relative increase in the average number of steps taken per day was positively predictive of happiness in adolescents. This autoregressive model was tested using the mediation approach from Nuijten et al. (H1c). There was no evidence of mediation and the results indicate that physical activity is a direct correlate of happiness in adolescents.
Not only does physical activity improve a person’s mood, but it also helps reduce stress and anxiety, boost self-esteem, and even alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. As long as a person does not exercise to the point of injury or overdoing it, any type of activity is beneficial. Even if a person does not feel particularly motivated to work out, as little as 10 minutes of exercise per week can make them happier.
It is important to remember that different types of exercise have different effects on the body. Endurance exercises, such as cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory training, are great for boosting mood by increasing a person’s ability to take in and use oxygen. Flexibility and balance exercises are also good for a person’s mental well-being. Strength training, on the other hand, can have a negative impact on a person’s mood in some cases.
The best course of action is to incorporate all three into your daily routine. Doing so will help you achieve optimal happiness and ensure your health and fitness are on the right track. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of different types of exercise, please check out our article on the topic. H-YA, W-C and S-YF made substantial contributions to the design of this study; C-WW collected data; S-YF analyzed the data and interpreted the results; and all authors contributed to writing and reviewing the manuscript.