Urges to Move and Other Motivation States for Physical Activity in Clinical and Healthy Populations: A Scoping Review Protocol

Abstract

Motivation for bodily movement, physical activity and exercise varies from moment to moment. These motivation states may be “affectively-charged,” ranging from instances of lower tension (e.g., desires, wants) to higher tension (e.g., cravings and urges). Currently, it is not known how often these states have been investigated in clinical populations (e.g., eating disorders, exercise dependence/addiction, Restless Legs Syndrome, diabetes, obesity) vs. healthy populations (e.g., in studies of motor control; groove in music psychology). The objective of this scoping review protocol is to quantify the literature on motivation states, to determine what topical areas are represented in investigations of clinical and healthy populations, and to discover pertinent details, such as instrumentation, terminology, theories, and conceptual models, correlates and mechanisms of action. Iterative searches of scholarly databases will take place to determine which combination of search terms (e.g., “motivation states” and “physical activity”; “desire to be physically active,” etc.) captures the greatest number of relevant results. Studies will be included if motivation states for movement (e.g., desires, urges) are specifically measured or addressed. Studies will be excluded if referring to motivation as a trait. A charting data form was developed to scan all relevant documents for later data extraction. The primary outcome is simply the extent of the literature on the topic. Results will be stratified by population/condition. This scoping review will unify a diverse literature, which may result in the creation of unique models or paradigms that can be utilized to better understand motivation for bodily movement and exercise.

Qualitative and quantitative evidence of motivation states for physical activity, exercise and being sedentary from university student focus groups

“…We then decided to present the themes as dualities based on the contrasting ideas of: (1) “propelling vs. restraining” forces, (2) “automaticity vs. deliberation” in the Affective-Reflective Theory of Physical Inactivity ( 14 ), and (3) “reflective vs. appetitive” desires ( 12 , 18 ). However, to be consistent with the WANT Model ( 17 , 20 , 24 ), we decided to present these dualities as additive (“and”) and not necessarily as a conflicting binary (“vs.”). This was also done to emphasize the potential for an adaptive and flexible behavioral repertoire ( 47 ), as with the WANT Model (i.e., which includes move and rest, and not move vs. rest), where combinations of desires can lead to more diverse behavioral outcomes ( 47 ).…”

“…Those with PTSD, for instance, sometimes complain of being “frozen” and unable to move and be productive ( 78 ), while those with panic attack and agoraphobia suffer from “fear responses to acute threat with the urge for active avoidance/escape” ( 79 ). Stults-Kolehmainen and colleagues have discussed aspects of motivation states as they appear in psychological disorders, including: anorexia nervosa, muscle dysmorphia, akathisia, restless legs syndrome, and others ( 20 ). Until recently, these sensations appeared to be obscure and idiopathic symptoms, but recently NIMH has classified these in the sensorimotor domain under the construct “motor actions” (sub-construct: “sensorimotor dynamics”) ( 80 ), which seems to validate the notion that ACMS might have a place in mental health and pathology.…”

“…Collectively, desires, wants, urges, and cravings are known as affectively-charged motivation states (ACMS) ( 19 ). These occur in both healthy individuals, where they may often go unnoticed, and also in clinical populations, where they can be quite bothersome and even disabling ( 20 ). The basis of these states could be a basic drive to move and be active ( 21 ), which initially Feige ( 22 ) and more recently others ( 17 ) recognized as the foundation of physical activity motivation.…”

“…The recognition of ACMS could significantly enhance our theoretical models as they: (1) apply to any rewarding behavior, (2) can change from moment to moment, and (3) incorporate aspects of affective response ( 16 , 23 ). Over the last few years, Stults-Kolehmainen and colleagues ( 17 , 20 , 21 , 24 – 27 ) have developed the idea of motivation states for movement and rest in one of the first efforts to incorporate these ideas into behavioral models.…”

Exploring the use of music to promote physical activity: From the viewpoint of psychological hedonism

“…The psychosocial factors predicting or causing PA behaviors have attracted scientific interest (for reviews, see Marcus et al, 1996 ; Brand and Cheval, 2019 ; Biddle et al, 2021 ; Huffman et al, 2021 ; Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2022 ). Over the past two decades, the motivational role of “ affect ,” a gestalt construct with valence (pleasure versus displeasure) and arousal (high versus low) dimensions ( Russell, 1980 ), has received increasing attention as a key factor eliciting motivation for PA ( Ekkekakis and Petruzzello, 1999 ; Ekkekakis, 2003 , 2017 ; Williams, 2008 ; Rhodes et al, 2009 ; Rhodes and Kates, 2015 ; Lee et al, 2016 ; Murphy and Eaves, 2016 ; Williams and Bohlen, 2019 ; Stevens et al, 2020 ; Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2020 ).…”