This new study result is surprising: Obviously, regular workouts make us happier in the long term than money. What is behind it?
We all know it: Getting ourselves into sports is usually much more difficult than training itself. But afterwards we feel really great! This may be an explanation for the outcome of a large-scale new study published by researchers at Yale and Oxford Universities in the journal ” The Lancet .” Therefore, a regular workout for our wellbeing is better than being financially well off.
The researchers collected data from over 1.2 million Americans and compared what impact physical activity and financial condition had on mental health. To do so, respondents responded to questionnaires in which they had to state, among other things, how often in the past 30 days, for example, they had felt bad mentally through stress, how often they do sports and how much they earn. A total of 75 physical activities could be specified, such as cleaning and weight lifting.
Sport makes you happy …
The conclusion: People who moved regularly felt, on average, 35 days a year on the mental level uncomfortable. In subjects who were barely physically active, it was 18 days more. In addition, the scientists compared the data with the income of the subjects. The physically active participants felt just as good as those who did not exercise, but earned around $ 25,000 more a year than the active people. In other words, you have to earn significantly more money to achieve the same happiness boost that sport has.
… but only in moderation
Does that mean we have to lace our sport shoes every day and start running? No! Because the study also shows that our well-being through sport is only improved for a certain amount of training time per week. More precisely: Three to five units each for 30 to 60 minutes should be ideal. In contrast, the mental health of the subjects who trained for more than three hours a day was worse than those of those who were not active at all. And: sports that deal with others improve mental health the most. These include not only classic team sports such as football, but also, for example, cycling courses.