People who are physically fitter are less likely to lose their cool, a study suggests.
Researchers at the Federal University of Goias in Brazil found that higher cardiorespiratory fitness – the body’s ability to pump oxygen through the body while exercising – was associated with lower anxiety and anger and greater emotional resilience.
To test this, researchers conducted an experiment on 40 healthy young participants, divided into two groups who had either above average or below average fitness levels.
In two sessions, participants were shown a set of either neutral images – such as everyday objects – or unpleasant ones, including scenes of injuries and threatening situations, designed to trigger stress and negative emotions.
The study found clear differences in how the groups handled stress, as while all participants reported feeling more tense after seeing the set of unpleasant images, the fitter group stayed much calmer.
The study found clear differences in how the groups handled stress, as the fitter group stayed much calmer
Meanwhile, those in the less fit group were 775 per cent more likely to see their anxiety and anger levels increase from moderate to high.
The study’s findings, published in the journal Acta Psychologica, also suggested the less fit a person was the more likely they were to act on their anger when faced with the stressful images.
The study’s lead author, Dr Thalles Guilarducci Costa, said: ‘Our findings indicate that individuals with higher cardiorespiratory fitness 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.’
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A run a day keeps the red mist at bay: People who exercise are less likely to lose their cool, study finds