You only really need a little exercise to be a lot happier, according to science. There’s new research out that says you can work out for as little as 10 minutes a day to get the enormous benefits back on your happiness. How amazing is that? It definitely comes as a surprise!
There are actually a lot of interesting things surrounding exercise and happiness that science has brought to light, so let’s dive in to what those findings are!
University of Michigan researchers took a look at a variety of different studies surrounding the correlation between exercise and happiness and their new study is called the Journal of Happiness Studies.
“All the observational studies reported positive associations between physical activity and happiness. As little as 10-min physical activity per week or 1 day of doing exercise per week might result in increased levels of happiness.
Mediation effects were examined in two studies indicating the positive relationship between physical activity and happiness might be mediated by health and social functioning.” Says Weiyun Chen in the journal. She works at the University of Michigan as an associate professor of kinesiology and she published this journal along with Zhanjia Zhang, her graduate student.
Based on their findings, it doesn’t appear to actually matter what kind of exercise you choose, whether you enjoy running, walking, or even yoga. What matters most is that you get up and move!
The interesting part is that it also appears 30 minutes of exercise is the sweet spot, even though 10 minutes a day will do. People who spent 30 minutes a day on exercise consider themselves to be 30% more happy than people that do not make it to 30 minutes daily.
“I think the indications are strong that exercise can contribute to happiness and, while anything helps, a bit more is probably better,” Dr. Chen concludes.