The moderating influence of situational motivation on the relationship between preferred exercise and positive affect: An experimental study

Abstract

Despite convincing evidence supporting the association between exercise and positive affect, this complex relationship requires further theoretical and person-centered explanation. The nature of one's motivation toward exercise, as postulated by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), may supply a missing and understudied link. The primary aim of this experimental study was to examine the moderating influence of situational motivation on the relationship between an acute bout of preferred exercise, namely running (vs. control), and changes in positive affect. Fourty-one active women attended two sessions to engage in (a) a 30-minute moderate-intensity self-paced treadmill run and (b) a 30-minute quiet activity (i.e., newspaper reading). Participants with high introjection versus those with low introjection reported a greater increase in positive affect from pre- to post-running and a greater decrease in positive affect from pre- to post-control. Motivational variables accounted for 7% of variance in post- run positive affect.