Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 13, Issue 1, January 1984, Pages 66-78
Preventive Medicine

Psychological effects of habitual aerobic exercise: A critical review

https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-7435(84)90041-0Get rights and content

Abstract

Controlled experiments of the effects of habitual aerobic exercise on mood, personality, and cognition are reviewed. The results indicate that exercise improves self-concept. They provide little evidence for claims that exercise improves anxiety, depression, body image, personality, or cognition. Several processes have been hypothesized to mediate the psychological benefits of exercise but none has been adequately tested. Future research should examine the individuals and the disorders that are most likely to experience psychological benefits from exercise, the types of exercise that are most beneficial, and the proposed mechanisms for the psychological benefits.

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    Supported by funds from the State of Minnesota for psychiatric research.

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