Measures of mood, primary process, and movement were obtained from 52 subjects at each of three experimental stages: pretest, exercise, and posttest. During exercise half the subjects ran on a treadmill while the remainder served as no-exercise controls. Both groups experienced significant reductions in negative mood, but enhanced positive mood was found only for the exercising subjects. There were no significant effects of exercise on primary-process or movement scores. The experimental effects of exercise on mood and cognition are discussed in relation to anecdotal reports in the literature.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AltshulV.The ego-integrative (and disintegrative) effects of long-distance running. Current Concepts in Psychiatry, 1978, 4(4), 6–11.
2.
BlueF. R.Aerobic running as a treatment for moderate depression. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1979, 48, 228.
3.
BlumenthalJ. A.WilliamsR. S.WilliamsR. B.WallaceA. G.Effects of exercise on the Type A (coronary prone) behavior pattern. Psychosomatic Medicine, 1980, 42, 289–296.
4.
BrownR. S.RamirezD. E.TaubJ. M.The prescription of exercise for depression. The Physician and Sports Medicine, 1978, 6(12), 34–37, 40–41, 44–45.
5.
CooperL.CastonJ.Physical activity and increases in “M” response. Journal of Projective Techniques, 1970, 34, 295–301.
6.
CoxJ. P.EvansJ. F.JamiesonJ. L.Aerobic power and tonic heart rate responses to psychosocial stressors. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1979, 5, 160–163.
7.
DiesfeldtH. F. A.Diesfeldt-GroenendijkH.Improving cognitive performance in psychogeriatric patients: The influence of physical exercise. Age and Ageing, 1977, 6, 58–64.
8.
EwingJ. A.GillisC. A.ScottD. G.PatzigW. J.Fantasy processes and mild physical activity. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1982, 54, 363–368.
9.
FolkinsC. H.Effects of physical training on mood. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1976, 32, 385–388.
10.
FolkinsC. H.LynchS.GardnerM. M.Psychological fitness as a function of physical fitness. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 1972, 42, 503–508.
11.
FolkinsC. H.SimeW. E.Physical fitness training and mental health. American Psychologist, 1981, 36, 373–389.
12.
GondolaJ. C.TuckmanB. W.Psychological mood state in “average” marathon runners. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1982, 55, 1295–1300.
13.
GreistJ. H.KleinM. H.EischensR. R.FarisJ. W.Antidepressant running: Running as a treatment for non-psychotic depression. Behavioral Medicine, 1978, 5, 19–24.
14.
GreistJ. H.KleinM. H.EischensR. R.FarisJ. W.GurmanA. S.MorganW. P.Running through your mind. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1978, 22, 259–294.
15.
HartzG. W.WallaceW. L.CaytonT. G.Effect of aerobic conditioning upon mood in clinically depressed men and women: A preliminary investigation. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1982, 55, 1217–1218.
16.
HoltR. R.Manual for the scoring of primary process manifestations on the Rorschach responses. New York: Research Center for Mental Health, New York Univer., 1967.
17.
HoltzmanW. H.Holtzman Inkblot Technique. New York: Psychological Corp., 1958.
18.
LeedyJ. J.MalkinM.Emotion in motion. Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine, 1977, 24, 94–97.
19.
LevinD. C.The runner's high: Fact or fiction?Journal of the American Medical Association, 1982, 248(1), 24.
20.
McNairD. M.LorrM.DropplemanL. F.Profile of Mood States. San Diego, CA: Educational & Industrial Testing Service, 1971.
21.
MorganW. P.Personality characteristics of wrestlers participating in world championships. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 1968, 8, 212–216.
22.
MorganW. P.The mind of the marathoner. Psychology Today, 1978, 11(4), 38–40, 43, 45–46, 49.
MorganW. P.CostillD. L.Psychological characteristics of the marathon runner. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 1972, 12, 42–46.
25.
MorganW. P.PollockM. L.Psychological characteristics of the elite distance runner. In MilveyP. (Ed.), The marathon: Physiological, medical, epidemiological, and psychological studies. Annals of New York Academy of Sciences. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1977. Pp. 382–403.
26.
MorganW. P.RobertsJ.FeinermanA.Psychological effect of acute physical activity. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 1971, 52, 422–425.
27.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Exercise and your heart. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Health, 1981.
28.
NowlisD. P.GreenbergN.Empirical description of effects of exercise on mood. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1979, 49, 1001–1002.
29.
PetrushevskiI. F.[Increase in work proficiency of operators by means of physical training.]Psikhologii, 1966, 2, 57–67. [Psychological Abstracts, 1966, 40, 767.]
30.
PiotrowskiZ. A.Perceptanalysis. New York: Macmillan, 1957.
31.
PowellR. R.Psychological effects of exercise therapy upon institutionalized geriatric mental patients. Journal of Gerontology, 1974, 29, 157–161.
32.
PowellR. R.PohndorfR. H.Comparison of adult exercisers and nonexercisers on fluid intelligence and selected physiological variables. Research Quarterly, 1971, 42, 70–77.
33.
RorschachH.Psychodiagnostics. Bern: Huber, 1921.
34.
SachsM. L.Running therapy for the depressed client. Topics in Clinical Nursing, 1981, 3(2), 77–86.
35.
ScottD. G.EwingJ. H.MillerW. S.GillisC. A.Physical activity and responses to projective stimuli in neurotic vs. psychotic depression. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1984, 48, 240–244.
36.
SheehanG.Ecstacy in motion. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 1982, 10(11), 41.
37.
SnyderE.KivlinJ. E.Women athletes and aspects of psychological well-being and body image. Research Quarterly, 1975, 46, 191–199.
38.
SnyderE. E.SpreitzerE. A.Involvement in sports and psychological well-being. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 1974, 5, 28–37.
39.
SolomonE. G.BumpusA. K.The running meditation response: An adjunct to psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1978, 32, 583–592.
40.
StamfordB. A.HambacherW.FallicaA.Effects of daily physical exercise on the psychiatric state of institutional geriatric mental patients. Research Quarterly, 1974, 45, 34–41.
41.
StarkerS. S.Toward a psychophysiology of waking fantasy: EEG studies. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1982, 55, 891–902.
42.
VanFraechemJ. H. P.VanFraechem-RawayR.The influence of training upon physiological and psychological parameters in young athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine, 1978, 18, 175–182.
43.
VarnauskasE.BergmanH.HoukP.BjorntorpP.Haemodynamic effects of physical training in coronary patients. Lancet, 1966, 2, 8–12.
