Huge differences between brains of people who exercise and those who don't revealed in new study
The hidden mental health benefit of working out
Whether you're someone who lives for the gym or the thought of a 5K run makes you quiver, there's no getting around the fact that exercise in any form benefits our health.
Recent studies have shown that even hitting a basic daily step count can help reduce dementia risk, while scientific YouTube videos show what really happens inside our bodies when we start exercising.
Now, new research suggests that fitness habits play a role in how we handle stress and the findings might just change how you think about working out.
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According to a study published in the journal Acta Psychologica (as per Science Direct), physically active people tend to bounce back more quickly from stressful situations. They also generally experience lower anxiety levels across the board.
In contrast, a sedentary lifestyle consistently is linked to poor cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), which has been linked to increased risks of heart disease, cancer and poor mental health.
During the study, researchers at the Federal University of Goiás and the University of Zurich showed 40 healthy young adults a series of disturbing photos, including violent scenes that users might encounter on social media.
Interestingly, the team discovered that people with below-average cardiorespiratory fitness habits face an astonishing 775 percent higher risk of reaching peak anxiety levels when exposed to the disturbing images.
Additionally, that same group of people tended also to have more turbulent dispositions. Their anger came on faster and lingered longer than those who exercised regularly.
In fact, people who didn't exercise often found themselves in a destructive cycle, the researchers noted. High anxiety levels made participants less likely to exercise, while avoiding exercise made anxiety worse.
Meanwhile, participants who regularly engaged in CRF activities benefitted from what the scientists described as a 'potential protective factor in emotional stress regulation.' As a result, they showed both better emotional control and faster recovery times from stressful events.
"Despite its limitations, our study provides meaningful and robust insights into the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and emotional regulation," the researchers wrote.
"Our findings indicate that individuals with higher CRF tend to exhibit lower trait anxiety and greater resilience when exposed to emotionally stressful stimuli, reinforcing the growing evidence that physical activity plays an important role in emotional health."
In the future, the researchers mentioned that 'larger and more diverse samples' are needed to confirm and extend their findings.