Exercise Does More Good if You Believe In It

We all know that exercise is good, but is it important to believe so as well?

A study involved 76 men and women aged between 18 to 32 years, who exercised for 30 minutes on a bicycle ergometer. Before the test, subjects were divided into different groups and shown a film that either praised the positive effects of cycling on health or not. In addition, participants were questioned on their well-being, their mood and whether they already believed in the positive effects of physical activity.

Those who already believed in the positive effects enjoyed the exercise more, improved their mood more, and reduced their anxiety more than less optimistic subjects. In addition, participants with greater expectations before the beginning of the study and those who had seen a positive film were more relaxed on a neuronal level.

The results suggest that beliefs and expectations could possibly have long-term consequences, for instance on our motivation to engage in sports.