Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Things They Should Study: does exercise have the same benefits for those whom it angers?

There's a lot of research about how exercise is allegedly good for non-physical things, like mood or cognition. 

Articles about this research often state as a given that exercise makes you feel good emotionally and boosts your mood.

However, for me, exercise makes me angry with no positive mental or emotional effects. I've blogged about this before, and over the years it has attracted the attention of others who are angered by exercise.

Someone should study whether exercise has the same alleged non-physical benefits for people whom it angers as it does for the general population.  What if being made angry by exercise is a sign that it doesn't have those benefits for you?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting. I experience the same effect with a particular kind of exercise, namely cardio exercise done alone and indoors, doesn't matter if done via Zumba class on DVD or treadmill. It makes me really angry and I stay angry for about an hour, as if my brain gets deprived of something it needs. I've had this for years. I also get shaky and my motor skills are bad for about an hour afterwards. I do not get angry if I go to exercise classes with other people, if I do Yoga, and also less if I run outdoors. What kind of sports are you doing? Does it happen with all kinds? In any case I'm happy I am not the only person who gets this effect. :)

impudent strumpet said...

I haven't tried classes because I don't like exercising in front of people, but every single kind of exercise brings out my anger, even yoga.

laura k said...

It's interesting how all the hype on the positive effects of exercise don't even allude to this, not even a passing mention that some people experience the opposite. The bias towards the belief that exercise is good is so strong. I wonder how prevalent this is, what percentage of exercisers experience this - or how many people have tried exercise and quit because of it.

impudent strumpet said...

Most talk about the benefits of exercise doesn't mention the negatives. All the baby boomer distance runners I know have serious knee problems that have stopped them from running and make it difficult for them to be as active as they'd like to be, but you hardly ever see this mentioned. And if it is mentioned, it's talked about like an inevitable part of life, like catching a cold, rather than damage resulting directly from the hardcore physical activity of their youth.