Two people biking by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (Photo by Maridav on Shutterstock)
In A Nutshell
Exercise shows effects comparable to antidepressants for depression
Young adults (18-30) and new mothers see the strongest benefits
Aerobic exercise and group settings work best
Depression needs longer programs, anxiety responds to shorter sessions
Running, cycling, or even just walking might work as well as popping a pill when it comes to depression. A sweeping analysis of nearly 80,000 people found that exercise reduced depression symptoms with an effect comparable to, and in some cases larger than, what’s typically reported for antidepressant medications and psychotherapy in prior research.
The numbers are compelling. Exercise produced an effect of -0.61 for depression in this review. The authors note this magnitude matches or exceeds effect sizes from earlier research on antidepressants (-0.36) and psychotherapy (-0.34). The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, examined data from more than 1,000 individual studies spanning children to older adults.
Lead researcher Neil Richard Munro and his team at James Cook University in Australia specifically excluded anyone with chronic physical diseases like heart disease or cancer. That decision matters because it isolates what exercise actually does for mental health, without other health problems muddying the waters.
The Groups That Benefit Most from Exercise
Young adults between 18 and 30 saw the biggest improvements, with exercise producing particularly strong symptom reductions in this age group. That timing matters since this age often marks when depression first shows up.
New mothers also experienced powerful benefits. Postpartum depression hits hard, and finding treatments that work during this vulnerable time can feel impossible. Exercise programs designed for women after giving birth produced strong symptom reductions without the concerns about medication while breastfeeding.
Depression and anxiety respond to different exercise approaches. (© Iona – stock.adobe.com)
What Kind of Exercise Works for Depression
Aerobic exercise came out on top. Running, walking, cycling (activities that get your heart pumping) showed the strongest effects. However, resistance training, yoga, tai chi, and mixed programs all helped too. The best exercise is the one you’ll actually do.
Group settings made a real difference. People who exercised with others experienced bigger improvements than solo exercisers. Maybe it’s the accountability, maybe it’s the social connection, maybe it’s just more fun. Whatever the mechanism, working out together seems to add something beyond the physical movement itself.
Supervised programs also beat unsupervised ones. Having a trainer or instructor guide your workout produced better mental health outcomes than going it alone.
Depression and Anxiety Need Different Exercise Plans
Interestingly, depression and anxiety responded to different exercise prescriptions.
For depression, longer programs worked best: more than 24 weeks showed the strongest effects. Moderate intensity proved ideal, not too easy but not crushing yourself either. Working out three or more days per week showed slightly larger reductions than once or twice weekly, though both frequencies provided benefits.
Anxiety told a different story. Shorter programs of eight weeks or less were most strongly associated with anxiety reduction. Lower intensity exercise showed better results than vigorous activity. Once or twice a week produced slightly better outcomes than more frequent sessions, though this finding comes from limited reviews.
Those differences mean doctors can’t just say “go exercise” anymore. Someone drowning in depression might need a sustained, moderate program multiple times a week. Someone paralyzed by anxiety might do better with gentler movement a couple times weekly.
How Exercise Compares to Standard Treatments
The comparison to antidepressants and psychotherapy deserves a closer look. This doesn’t mean people should stop taking prescribed medication, especially those with severe symptoms or clinical diagnoses. The findings suggest exercise deserves serious consideration as part of treatment, particularly for mild to moderate depression.
Exercise brings practical advantages. It’s generally low-cost and accessible to most people. While helping mood, it also supports physical health. Other research suggests exercise may work through similar pathways as antidepressants, affecting brain chemicals that regulate mood, while also potentially supporting new brain cell growth and reducing inflammation.
Beyond biology, there’s the psychological element. Setting goals, achieving them, and feeling capable in your own body again can shift how depression feels day to day.
Why Doctors Aren’t Prescribing Exercise
Despite solid evidence, exercise remains underused in clinical practice. Many mental health professionals lack training in exercise prescription and don’t feel confident recommending specific programs. Healthcare systems don’t have clear pathways for referring patients to exercise programs the way they can write a prescription or refer to a therapist.
From the patient side, depression and anxiety make starting an exercise routine feel overwhelming. Lack of motivation, exhaustion, anxiety about gyms or group settings: these create real barriers. Cost and transportation add practical challenges.
The researchers argue that doctors should prescribe exercise with the same confidence they have in traditional treatments. That means writing specific “prescriptions” spelling out the type, intensity, duration, and frequency, just like medication instructions. A college student might thrive in an intramural sports team. A new mother might prefer a walking group with other moms pushing strollers.
The key is matching the exercise to the person and their specific mental health needs, then providing enough support to actually get them moving.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Anyone considering exercise as a treatment for depression or anxiety should consult with their healthcare provider, particularly if they have been diagnosed with a mental health condition or are currently receiving treatment.
Paper Notes
Study Limitations
This meta-meta-analysis included only English-language publications, potentially missing relevant research published in other languages. Different studies defined exercise intensity and duration inconsistently, making precise comparisons challenging. The research found limited data for certain populations, particularly anxiety studies in older adults, youth, and perinatal women. Publication bias analysis suggested some asymmetry in anxiety studies, indicating that some negative results may not have been published. Most included meta-analyses received low quality ratings on the AMSTAR-2 assessment tool, though sensitivity analyses showed this didn’t substantially affect results.
Funding and Disclosures
The authors declared no specific funding for this research from any agency in the public, commercial or non-profit sectors. The research team reported no competing interests or conflicts of interest related to this study.
Publication Details
This research was conducted by Neil Richard Munro, Samantha Teague, Klaire Somoray, Aaron Simpson, Timothy Budden, Ben Jackson, Amanda Rebar, and James Dimmock. The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2026 with the DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2025-110301. Munro is affiliated with James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. The systematic review was registered prospectively in PROSPERO (CRD42020210651) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews (PRIOR) framework. For depression, researchers analyzed 57 reviews covering 800 individual studies with 57,930 participants ranging in age from 10 to 90 years. For anxiety, they examined 24 reviews comprising 258 studies with 19,368 participants aged 18 to 67.