Science is constantly evolving and in perpetual motion. It is like a living organism that, every day, shows us a little better how the world, life, and our own bodies are. It now confirms that ten minutes of exercise a day makes you happier.
Everyone knows the benefits of sports and physical activity. However, to complete this idea, we have discovered that it is possible to achieve a lot by doing very little. With a small dose of exercise, our body is already able to release hormones that are associated with well-being. These also produce a wonderful feeling capable of generating joy
The Study That Says Ten Minutes of Exercise a Day Makes You Happier
The study in question was developed at the University of Michigan in the United States. A group of scientists explored the relationship between positive emotions and exercise. These experts focused more specifically on psychologically healthy people. Until now, we knew that physically active people developed a great capacity to reduce the risks of anxiety and depression. Thanks to this new work, the positive and healthy impact of moderate exercise has been demonstrated.
So it is not necessary to spend hours in the gym or go out for a long walk every day. This does not mean that these things are negative, of course. However, by doing much less exercise, you can also achieve great results on an emotional level.
The development of the study
To demonstrate this point, the team of researchers analyzed data from more than half a million people across 23 studies that linked happiness and exercise. These are studies that have been conducted since 1980.
Once the data was analyzed, and after observing that the participants belonged to a wide range of socio-economic and ethnic groups, the researchers were able to demonstrate - by comparing sedentary and active people - that exercising once a week or ten minutes a day increased their level of life satisfaction.
Among the data obtained, we can see that a person who does one hour and forty minutes of exercise per week has 20% more chances of being happy. This percentage increases as one practices more sport. It goes to 29% in those who practice two or three hours of sport per week and reaches 52% among those who exceed three hours of physical activity.
If we extrapolate these numbers to a week, we get an interesting statistic: ten minutes of exercise a day makes you happier. However, for the effect to be consistent, you need to maintain a certain consistency.
More interesting data
The authors of The study, led by Professor Weiyun Chen, were surprised by the results obtained. With just ten minutes of daily activity, there is a greater tendency to be happy. According to Chen's statements in the study's publication, in the specialist journal The Journal of Happiness Studies, people who exercise, even at low doses and even if it is moderate, tend to be happier.
However, the relationship between happiness and physical activity can be explained by different factors. Among the most important, the authors highlight the feeling of well-being produced by a healthy body and the social interactions that occur at the time of exercise. Other specialists affirm that sport allows you to lose weight, which helps improve our self esteem and self-image of individuals. Cognitive mechanisms are therefore added to the benefits.
Other benefits of sport
Health professionals advise us of the importance of exercise for a variety of additional reasons. For example, it helps to focus on the activity, which keeps away mental noise and negative thoughts.
It also involves the release of hormones, mainly serotonin, dopamine and endorphin. These three neurotransmitters bring respectively calm, a feeling of pleasure and a state of euphoria. They also have an immediate effect. So, did you imagine that ten minutes of exercise a day could make you happier so easily? Remember , with a little consistency, it is relatively simple to feel better. It is all in our hands and in our body.
“Glory is being happy. It’s not winning here or there. Glory is loving to practice, and that’s every day, loving to work hard, trying to be a better player than before.”
-Rafael Nadal-
