The effect of regular and short-term running intervention on mood states in daily life.

Mental health problems are reported to be the primary driver of the overall disease burden worldwide. Only in the United Kingdom in the last two years, did the numbers of depression in adults double up when compared with statistics before the Corona (Covid-19) pandemic. In early 2021, 1 in 5 adults (21%) in the UK experienced some sort of depression. That number increased since November 2020 (19%) and doubled since before the pandemic (10%). The reduced access to care may have long-term implications on mental health and cost everyone worldwide a lot of money (Williams et al. 2021). According to a past study by Greist et al. (1978) running is 4 times more cost-effective as a treatment for individuals with moderate depression than any other treatment.

Several studies recognised running as a possible therapeutic intervention for mood disorders. Regular exercise and physical activity increased emotional well-being and improved mood (Ross & Hayes,1988, Reed & Ones, 2009). Considering that the evidence from past studies is well established, the literature on the relationship between running and mental health is outdated. According to the most recent scoping review that focused on the relationship between running and mental health more research is needed that will address a bigger sample size, diversity in participant demographics and better visibility for outcome measures. However, overall studies demonstrate that regular exercise and physical activity increase emotional well-being and improve mental health (Oswald et al. 2020). Depending on various styles and durations of running exercise the psychological effect may be varied. 

The findings of Nabetani and Tokunaga (2001) demonstrated an improvement in mood states and anxiety through short bouts of exercise such as 10-minute and 15-minute runs. In their study, 15 male participants were requested to complete two trials, one 10-minute and one 15-minute run on the treadmill. The results for both conditions reported a similar positive effect on mood changes. In addition to this, the findings indicate that short bouts run can be easily applied in daily routine to improve people’s quality of life. However, this study used a measurement tool that was developed in Japan and reliability and validity have not been proven in other countries.

Furthermore, a small sample size was used and only male participants were involved in this study. Nevertheless, findings suggest that it is possible to create healthy exercise habits in people’s lives and improve their wellbeing. Enjoyment of running and its benefits on mood were also presented in Anderson and Brice’s (2011) study that examined the role of short jogs and memory biases. In regards to the benefits of running following a single exercise session, the participants were invited to take part in a 10-minute jogging session and assessed their current mood in pre- and post-session. The results show that acute exercise can have a positive impact on mood. Furthermore, the perception of improving the mood dimensions by exercise supports the body of literature that reveals that memory from previous experience and psychological states are restored and enjoyment is a main contributor to the mood changes connected with exercise.

Some researchers indicate that beneficial outcomes of running on mood change are only the results of the placebo effect. Several studies investigated how people’s expectations regarding the psychological benefits of exercise are influenced by past enjoyment. Some finding suggests that the only way to fully benefit from exercise within therapeutic settings is to inform participants about expected outcomes and benefits from regular exercise. For instance, Szabo and Abrahan (2013) found that positive beliefs about the psychological benefits of recreational running may be linked to placebo effects. A total of 50 runners (37 males and 13 females), were recruited in their study. Nine participants were refused to be part of the study because they did not meet the selection criteria volunteering runners aged at least 18, consented in writing to their participation, ran for at least 12 months before the research and planned to complete the path at least once (run at least 5 km). The results of this study found positive changes through pleasant past experiences.

Furthermore, Helfer et al. (2015) found that an affective expectation manipulation can be used to increase post-exercise mood and participants’ self-reported and behavioural intentions to exercise. The participants (59 men, and 89 women) were invited to complete 10-min of light-intensity exercise. They were all exposed to an affective expectation manipulation as well as an elaboration manipulation. Participants also completed a 2-week follow-up. In addition, these studies used young healthy volunteers, which might be a limitation in the sense of achieving data that affects in diverse samples needed to determine generalizability.

Another study that can be found in regards to the benefits of varied duration runs on mood changes, follows Walter et al. (2013) suggestion that the psychological benefits result from acute aerobic running exercise. Their study examined the acute effect of endurance running on mood and medium-term changes in mood in daily life. The 23 participants were split into experimental and control groups and monitored for over 12 weeks. All participants completed a progressive treadmill test pre- and the intervention period and rated their mood state 3 days a week. The results show that mood increases immediately after an acute endurance run. However, there was no medium-term effect on mood state after a few weeks of endurance training. Moreover, the assessment of mood was recorded on 3 days per week which resulted in poor data. Since mood is a very unstable state and often is affected by imbalances in certain neurotransmitters (norepinephrine and serotonin) more frequent assessment is needed in future studies. 

Another important consideration when exploring the psychological benefits of running is “runner’s high”. This state of deep relaxation is connected with the role of endocannabinoid (eCB) in brain networks that are responsible for reward. Raichlen et al. (2012) studied the connection between long-distance running and eCB system. The results show that eCB system is activated by intense exercise and as a result is responsible for improvement in mood. However, this study did not set different conditions and participants performed both exercises in the same testing session. Thus, it is difficult to regulate whether increased eCB was due to intensity alone or it was affected by the duration of the exercise. Nevertheless, this finding suggests that long-distance running is connected with a runner’s high state. In an intervention on the effect of long-distance running on mood, Luo (2019) reported significant improvement in depression in male and female participants. To measure the influence of long-distance running on mood, 145 college students with certain depression were trained for 2 months. The results show that college students who were not running regularly have a higher predisposition to experience depression when compared with those who are running regularly. However, the intervention included only college students and was laid as a basis for non-pharmacological treatment. This may suggest that results might be different for other demographic groups. Therefore, for college students with mood disorders distance running may be recommended to gain a sense of pleasure in life.

In conclusion, the research show that that short and regular running can have a positive effect on mood and can be a great tool in creating healthy habits in an individual’s daily life.