Exercise and Emotional Well-being: What Does Physical Activity Bring to Our Happiness?

Abstract

This review paper was created with the intention of critically examining the findings of contemporary scientific research studies that explore the relationship between physical activity and the perception and experience of positive emotions and emotional states. The method used is bibliographic-speculative. The results indicate that physical activity contributes to the perception and experience of positive emotional states (colloquially: happiness), as assessed through some of the most commonly measured parameters (higher levels of subjective and psychological wellbeing, positive affect, quality of life, and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress) across all stages of life.