The Effects of Physical Exercise on Mental Health: From Cognitive Improvements to Risk of Addiction

Abstract

(1) Background: we aimed to investigate the effects of physical activity on cognitive functions and deficits of healthy population and other needy groups. Secondly, we investigated the relation between healthy habits and psychopathological risks. Finally, we investigated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on exercise addiction and possible associated disorders. (2) Methods: From April 2021 to October 2021, we conducted a review aimed at identifying the effects of physical exercise on mental health, from cognitive improvements to risk of addiction; we searched for relevant studies on PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINHAL. (3) Results: For the first purpose, results indicated multiple effects such as better precision and response speed in information processing tasks on healthy populations; improvement of executive functions, cognitive flexibility and school performance in children; improvement of attention and executive functions and less hyperactivity and impulsiveness on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); improvement of executive and global functions on adults; improvement of overall cognitive functioning on patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder. Data also demonstrated that exercise addiction seems to be related to low levels of education, low self-esteem, eating disorders and body dysmorphisms. Eventually, it was found that people with lower traits and intolerance of uncertainty show a strong association between COVID-19 anxiety and compulsive exercise and eating disorder. (4) Conclusions: these findings underline on one side the beneficial effects of physical activity on cognitive function in healthy individuals in a preventive and curative key, while on the other side the importance of an adequate evaluation of psychological distress and personality characteristics associated with exercise addiction.

Physical Exercise and Undergraduate Students’ Subjective Well-Being: Mediating Roles of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Sleep Quality

“…Consistent with numerous studies on the benefits of physical exercise [ 2 , 11 ], our findings indicated that physical exercise was positively associated with undergraduate students’ adaptation and subjective well-being. It is well-established that regular physical exercise and exercise habits are indispensable components of a healthy lifestyle that bring great benefits to physical and psychological health and adaptation [ 9 , 12 , 42 ]. Particularly, physical exercise also contributes to people’s psychological health and social adaptation [ 2 ], and the good physical condition brought about by exercise also contributes directly to social adaptation.…”

“…Physical exercise refers to body movements made by skeletal muscles via the expenditure of energy. There are many health and adaptation benefits associated with physical exercise; specifically, regular physical exercise can promote both physical health (e.g., physiological function, such as vital capacity and strength, ideal body fat percentage, and body mass index) and psychological adaptation [ 9 , 10 ]. Several studies have shown that physical exercise has a negative relationship with perceived stress, depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, and even suicidal behavior but a positive relationship with self-esteem, self-efficacy, psychological capital, and life satisfaction [ 1 , 2 , 11 ].…”

Personality Traits Associated with the Risk of Exercise Dependence in Ultraendurance Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…However, neuroticism, as with other personal and situational parameters, could be an important factor underlying the difference between using exercise as a healthy or maladaptive coping strategy [92,94]. Similarly, Golshani et al found that mental toughness could moderate the association between heavy exercising and greater mental health issues in that lower mental toughness was associated with worse mental health issues among heavy exercisers [32].…”

Investigating the Associations of ADHD Symptoms, Impulsivity, Physical Exercise, and Problematic Pornography Use in a Chinese Sample

“…There is substantial evidence that physical exercise reduces impulsivity. Adherence to exercise (60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day) enhanced the treatment and prevention of impulsivity-related disorders [ 80 ]; physical activity improved attention and executive functions and reduced hyperactivity and impulsivity in children with ADHD [ 81 ]. Among adolescents, less frequent vigorous physical activity was associated with greater negative urgency and lack of perseverance [ 82 ], and the amount and intensity of physical exercise per week were negatively correlated with emotion-related impulsivity levels [ 83 ].…”