Exercise Psychology is a field that studies how exercise and physical activity affect our minds and emotions. It has its roots in Ancient Greece, where people recognized the benefits of exercise for emotional release (catharsis).
In the 1980s, experts formed a group called Exercise and Sport Psychology Interest Group at a psychology convention in the United States. Later, in 1986, they officially approved a division called Division 47 (the Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology), with William Morgan as its first president.
Since the 1970s, there has been a lot of research on exercise psychology, particularly in areas like exercise addiction and using exercise to help with depression. They found that exercise can be helpful for dealing with psychological issues like anxiety and depression (Acevedo, 2012).
Some researchers, like Kate Hays, have focused on using exercise as a part of therapy for mental health. Others, like Bonnie Berger, have studied how exercise can improve the quality of life (Berger & Tobar, 2011).
Recently, many books have been published about exercise psychology (e.g., Razon & Sachs 2018), and it is gaining more attention. The field looks at how exercise can be used to improve mental health, cope with stress, and deal with life’s challenges. They are also interested in finding the right amount of exercise needed for various benefits.
As public health is concerned about the increase in obesity and sedentary lifestyles, researchers are also studying how to motivate people to exercise regularly. They want to make exercise enjoyable and fun so that more people will stick to it. Additionally, they are looking at how exercise affects different groups of people, especially considering age and disabilities.
Acevedo, E. O. (Ed.), (2012). The Oxford handbook of exercise psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Andersen, M. B., & Hanrahan, S. J. (2015). Doing exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Berger, B. G., & Tobar, D. A. (2011). Exercise and quality of life. In T. Morris, & P. Terry (Eds.), The new sport and exercise psychology companion (pp. 483 505). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
Razon, S., & Sachs, M. L. (Eds.), (2018). Applied exercise psychology: The challenging journey from motivation to adherence. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
