身体活动不仅有助于提高人的生理机能,还具有改善心境、调节情绪的功能。有规律的身体活动不仅能够增强个体的积极情绪,提升幸福感和自尊感,也可以缓解消极情绪、矫治情绪障碍。关于身体活动对情绪影响的脑神经机制,研究者先后提出神经递质假说、大脑可塑性假说、前额叶偏侧化假说和双模型假说。进一步的研究需要控制运动强度对身体活动情绪效益的影响,比较不同类型身体活动的情绪调节效果,同时考察基因、神经生长及社会互动等因素对情绪的交互作用。
Physical activity might not only improve physical health, but also can have a positive and clinically meaningful influence on affect. A growing body of research has detailed the beneficial relation of physical activity and affect. Overall, the extant literature suggests that physical activity might be related to more positive affect and higher satisfaction with life. Regular physical activity such as aerobic exercise also may be an effective way to reduce negative emotion and emotional disorders symptoms. There is little evidence for interaction between activity types, exercise intensity and training frequency. The biological and cerebral mechanisms of affective responses also remain plausible. Future researcher should take into account the factors such as interpersonal and intrapersonal differences in affective responses, the connection between affective responses and brain function, to further enhance our understanding of physical activity and affect.