Affective Responses to Exercise Behavior
Summary
Affective responses to exercise behaviour refer to the immediate and subsequent feelings elicited by physical activity. These responses encompass both valence (pleasure vs displeasure) and arousal (activation vs deactivation) and influence whether an individual is likely to initiate, maintain or abandon exercise. Variability in affective responses arises from exercise intensity, environmental context, individual preferences, cognitive appraisal and prior experience. Positive affect during and after exercise enhances adherence by reinforcing habits through anticipated pleasure and remembered enjoyment, while negative affect can precipitate drop-out. The interplay between physiological signals (for example, heart rate or perceived exertion) and cognitive factors (for example, perceived competence, autonomy and social interaction) shapes the affective experience. Globally, understanding these mechanisms offers pathways to tailor exercise prescriptions, improve public health interventions and support lifelong physical activity engagement.
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Affective Responses to Exercise Behavior publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in affective responses to exercise behavior across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Affective valence: The degree of pleasure or displeasure experienced during or after exercise.
Arousal: The level of physiological and psychological activation accompanying an affective response.
Anticipated affect: Expected feelings before engaging in exercise, which influence decision-making and motivation.
Remembered affect: Retrospective evaluation of past exercise sessions that shapes future exercise intentions.
Core affective response: Immediate, non-reflective feelings (valence and arousal) generated by the exercise stimulus.
References
- Individualized pleasure-oriented exercise sessions, exercise frequency, and affective outcomes: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2024).
- Is There a Dose–Response Relationship between High-Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIE) Intensity and Affective Valence? Analysis of Three HIIE Sessions Performed with Different Amplitudes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
- Affective Determinants of Physical Activity: A Conceptual Framework and Narrative Review. Frontiers in Psychology (2020).
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