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Topics: Health
Callum Jones
A recently published study has detailed the eye-opening differences between the brains of those who exercise compared to those who are not as active.
We're often told about how vital exercising is for both our physical and mental health. Exercising doesn't necessarily mean hitting the gym for a gruesome session or running a 5k either, as one study found that even just hitting a recommended step count every day can reduce your risk of developing dementia in later life.
Now, a study has concluded that those who exgercise regularly may well deal with stress better and bounce back from setbacks quicker and more effectively.
The research, which has been published in the journal Acta Psychologica, involved 40 'healthy young participating', with anxiety and stress levels assessed during the first of two sessions.
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The researchers at the Federal University of Goiás and the University of Zurich showed the participants a series of unpleasant images, which included snaps of violent scenes that could be seen on social media.
From that, the team uncovered those with below-average cardiorespiratory fitness were an eye-watering 775 percent more likely to suffer from high anxiety levels compared to those who are more physically active.
The same group with the higher anxiety levels also expressed anger more frequently and quickly, while such lingered longer for those who don't exercise.
In their findings, researchers wrote: "Despite its limitations, our study provides meaningful and robust insights into the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and emotional regulation. Our findings indicate that individuals with higher cardiorespiratory fitness (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."
Of course, this study is first of a kind and researchers have noted that 'larger and more diverse samples' will be needed in future scientific work to provide further tangible answers.
Experts added in their findings: "These findings may be understood within a psychophysiological framework in which higher cardiorespiratory fitness enhances stress regulation capacity, thereby shaping emotional responses to aversive stimuli.
"Previous evidence indicates that CRF is positively associated with higher vagally mediated heart rate variability under everyday physical and psychosocial stress, reflecting greater parasympathetic control and more efficient autonomic regulation.
"These mechanisms suggest that higher CRF may buffer stress-related emotional reactivity by promoting both physiological flexibility and psychological resilience."
Scientists will continue to work on further studies to back up these original claims.