Physical Training Makes Us Happier Than Money, Science Claims

How do physical exercise and well-being go together? Do you think that physical exercise makes us happier? If you were asked right now, what do you think makes you happier, money or sports? What would your answer be?

Research from Yale and Oxford universities has attempted to answer this question through a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1.2 million American participants.

The study claims that regular sports have a more positive effect on people than a favorable economic position. Let’s learn more about this interesting research.

Physical exercise makes us happier than money

Physical exercise makes us happier than money. As we mentioned above, this fact has been confirmed by a study by researchers at Yale and Oxford and published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry . The study, which examined participants’ mental health between 2011 and 2015, involved more than one million Americans.

More specifically, the research was intended to analyze the relationship between mental health and physical exercise. In the study, participants talked about how many times they felt emotionally bad in the last month, either due to stress or emotional issues.

The study showed that in people who performed physical exercise regularly, the number of times they felt bad was significantly lower compared to people who did not play sports. In addition , these people felt happier than the people with higher incomes but who did not perform physical exercise.

Another information according to the results of the study was that the level of happiness was not proportional to the amount of sport practiced.

Happiness based on sports

The researchers also reached other conclusions. They discovered that the type of sport affects the impact on mental health. In fact, they found that in popular team sports or sports where socializing is required, the impact is even greater.

Followed by team sports are other forms of sports that create more well-being, cycling, aerobic activities and fitness activities.

Well-being based on income

The researchers compared participants’ reported levels of well-being based on their income. They came to the conclusion that physically active people are just as well off as people who do not play sports, but who earn around DKK 150,000 more a year.

As you can see, the relationship between money, physical exercise and well-being is by no means linear.

Physical exercise and well-being: The importance of moderate sports

Another conclusion the researchers reached was that sport is beneficial to our mental health and gives us a good portion of happiness and well-being. However, it must be moderate. Therefore, excessive physical exercise would be counterproductive.

This is demonstrated by their findings. In fact, participants who exercised excessively (more than recommended) felt as dissatisfied as those who did not participate in sports at all. According to the study, the “ideal” for our mental health would be to play sports between three and five times a week (with a duration of between 30 and 60 minutes each time).

Another study led by Bastien Blain and published in the scientific journal  Current Biology in 2019 found similar findings. This one says that excessive physical exercise induces cognitive fatigue similar to the fatigue caused by excessive intellectual work.

Emotional benefits of physical exercise

You have seen how physical exercise and well-being go hand in hand, and that the former can lead to the latter. But more specifically, how does sport benefit us on a mental and emotional level? Among the great benefits of playing sports for emotional health, we actually find that sports achieve the following:

• Prevents and reduces anxiety and stress.
• Induces relaxed states.
• Allows us to develop our self-esteem through self-knowledge.
• Provides routine and organization.
• Helps us work indirectly on our cognitive skills such as attention and memory.
• Increases our discipline. This allows us to overcome challenges and obstacles.

In addition, do not forget that when you play sports, you release endorphins, neurotransmitters, hormones and various chemicals that evoke relaxation and enjoyment.

This is why sports are so beneficial in the prevention (and management) of anxiety and stress. It also combats apathetic states typical of depression. This is because sport activates us both physically and mentally.

Physical exercise makes us happier because it helps us relax

As you can see, physical exercise and well-being are two concepts that go hand in hand. Whether sport brings us more or less satisfaction or well-being than money, it is undeniable that sport helps us relax and take care of our physical and mental health.

Therefore, if you feel anxious or overly stressed, or if you want to fight apathy, then you should choose to play sports! You do not have to adopt a very demanding routine. In fact, you can just start with a brisk walk once a week and gradually increase your activity.