Lecture 6 - Physical Activity and Anxiety

Question 1

most popular research topic in exercise psych

Answer 1

the effects of exercise on anxiety
- anxiety stems from the individual believing they do not have the capacity/tools to deal with certain situations

Question 2

types of anxiety

Answer 2

State Anxiety (comes and goes)
- transient emotional state characterized by feelings of worry and apprehension
- state anxiety is an assessment of how the individual feels right now
Trait Anxiety (chronic stress)
- reflects a more general predisposition to respond across many situations with apprehension, worry, and nervousness. Thus trait anxiety is an assessment of how the individual generally feels (i.e. anxious before going on stage then it subsides)
*trait anxiety/chronic stress can lead to mental health problems; when stress starts to influence your life, this is when we see clinical mental health problems

Question 3

relate exercise to trait anxiety

Answer 3

• it has been reported that PA is associated with better mental health, which included fewer symptoms of anxiety
• regular is associated with reduced risk of having generalized anxiety, panic attacks and social phobias
• there is a negative reaction between PA and anxiety
• ppl who are fit tend to report fewer problems with anxiety compared to unfit ppl

Question 4

what is a trait

Answer 4

something that is relatively enduring; they dont seem to change over time but they actually do
- i.e. music taste

Question 5

relate exercise to state anxiety

Answer 5

• the effects of exercise on state anxiety has been found to occur following acute exercise (single bout; if you’re feeling stressed go on a walk ad you’ll feel better)
• research suggests that the relief from acute exercise on anxiety only lasts 2-4hrs before returning to base levels of anxiety
• there is no evidence that the effects impacted based on gender or age