Motivation States for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: Desire, Urge, Wanting, and Craving

Abstract

To better explain daily fluctuations in physical activity and sedentary behavior, investigations of motivation are turning from social cognitive frameworks to those centered on affect, emotion and automaticity, such as the Affect and Health Behavior Framework (AHBF), Integrated Framework and Affective-Reflective Theory (ART). This shift has necessitated: (a) re-examination of older theories and their constructs, such as drives, needs and tensions and (b) an inspection of competing theories from other fields that also attempt to explain dynamic changes in health behaviors. The Dynamical Model of Desire, Elaborated Intrusion Theory and others commonly share with AHBF the idea that human behavior is driven strongly by desires and/or the similar concepts of wants, urges, and cravings. These affectively-charged motivation states (ACMS) change quickly and may better explain physical activity behavior from one moment to the next. Desires for movement predominantly derive from negative but also positive reinforcement. Data from clinical populations with movement dysfunction or psychiatric disorders provides further evidence of these drivers of movement. Those with Restless Legs Syndrome, akathisia, tic disorders and exercise dependence all report strong urges to move and relief when it is accomplished. Motor control research has identified centers of the brain responsible for wants and urges for muscular movement. Models elaborated herein differentiate between wants, desires, urges and cravings. The WANT model (Wants and Aversions for Neuromuscular Tasks) conceptualizes desires for movement and rest as varying by magnitude, approach or avoidance-orientation (wants versus aversions) and as occupying independent dimensions instead of opposite ends of the same axis. For instance, one hypothetically might be in a state of both high desire for movement and rest simultaneously. Variations in motivation states to move and rest may also be associated with various stress states, like freezing or fight and flight. The first validated instrument to measure feelings of desire/want for movement and rest, the CRAVE

Measurement of motivation states for physical activity and sedentary behavior: Development and validation of the CRAVE scale

“…Research in the area of motivational processes greatly lags behind work in the areas of cognition and emotion, but newer models are reviving older perspectives and synthesizing this with data that suggests that motivated behavior starts with motivation states , such as desires and urges (8-17). Several dual-process models of physical activity have recently emerged-the Affective Reflective Theory of Physical Inactivity and Exercise (ART) (18), the model from Conroy and Berry (19), the Affect and Health Behavior Framework (AHBF) (20) and the later Integrated Framework (AHBF-IF) (15).…”

“…How feelings of urges, wants, desires and cravings for movement, as well as sedentary behavior, relate and differ is addressed by the WANT (Wants and Aversion for Neuromuscular Tasks) model (17). In developing this heuristic, Stults-Kolehmainen and colleagues define wants and urges to move as “…affectively-charged motivation states and associated feelings that signal a pressing need to approach or avoid a state of muscular movement (or, conversely a state of rest)” (17). Desires or urges to move might be due to the natural drive to move (44-46) which results in tension and is only satisfied when released with movement, which is considered negative reinforcement (17, 47).…”

“…In developing this heuristic, Stults-Kolehmainen and colleagues define wants and urges to move as “…affectively-charged motivation states and associated feelings that signal a pressing need to approach or avoid a state of muscular movement (or, conversely a state of rest)” (17). Desires or urges to move might be due to the natural drive to move (44-46) which results in tension and is only satisfied when released with movement, which is considered negative reinforcement (17, 47). In this model, wants and urges for movement and rest are considered separate factors relating orthogonally on two different axes/continua as opposed to opposite poles of the same continuum, similar to a circumplex configuration (48).…”

“…At this juncture, intersecting lines of research strongly suggest that humans possess wants/desires for movement and rest behaviors (8, 15, 17, 35, 38, 52). However, a review study in this special issue reports that “little to no research has been conducted to directly measure craving/desire for PA” (53).…”

“…The primary aim of the current investigation, therefore, was to create and validate an instrument to measure subjective ratings of desire or want, affectively-charged motivation states (ACMS), for physically active behaviors. In accordance with the WANT model (17), we also aimed to also assess desires/wants for sedentary behaviors. Our objective was to create a measure of desires/wants that will have acceptable reliability, construct validity, and more specifically, convergent validity.…”