Summary: Analysis of data from a smartphone mood-tracking app shows that even brief, everyday physical activity is associated with improved happiness.
Source: University of Cambridge.
Largest smartphone-based study to date finds that small amounts of physical activity — not just formal exercise — are linked to greater happiness.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Essex analysed reports from more than 10,000 people and found that physical activity, whether or not it qualifies as formal exercise, relates to improved emotional well-being. Published in PLOS ONE, the study demonstrates how smartphone data can be used to measure psychological, behavioural and health-related experiences as people live their daily lives.
The study combined passive activity data recorded by participants’ smartphone accelerometers with brief in-the-moment mood surveys delivered at random times throughout the day. Participants rated their emotional state on a two-dimensional grid indicating how positive or negative and how energetic or sleepy they felt, and also answered a few questions about how their mood compared to normal.
By averaging activity levels across each day, the researchers were able to show a clear association: people who recorded higher overall activity tended to report more positive emotional states. Importantly, the link held when comparing different individuals and when comparing moments within the same person — people reported better mood during times when they were more physically active, even if that activity was modest and not planned exercise.
“Our data show that happier people are generally more active,” said Dr Jason Rentfrow, senior author and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge’s Department of Psychology. “Crucially, we also found that periods of physical activity tended to boost positive mood regardless of a person’s baseline happiness. You don’t need to run a marathon to feel better — periodic small movements during the day can make a measurable difference to mood.”
Co-author Dr Gillian Sandstrom of the University of Essex pointed out that most people do not consciously track all their daily movements. “People remember going for a walk or visiting the gym, but they are less likely to recall mundane actions such as walking from their desk to the photocopier,” she said. Passive smartphone sensing captures these everyday activities and links them to momentary well-being.
Professor Cecilia Mascolo from Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory, another study co-author, highlighted the methodological advantages: “Mobile and wearable technology enables social scientists to conduct large-scale, longitudinal studies and to maintain direct, ongoing contact with users for research, feedback and potential interventions.”
Funding: The research was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Research Council’s UBhave (Ubiquitous and Social Computing for Positive Behaviour Change) project.
Source: University of Cambridge, Sarah Collins.
Image Source: Image adapted from the University of Cambridge press release.
Original Research: “Happier People Live More Active Lives: Using Smartphones to Link Happiness and Physical Activity” by N. Lathia, G. M. Sandstrom, C. Mascolo, and P. J. Rentfrow. PLOS ONE. Published online January 5, 2017. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160589
University of Cambridge. “Small Amounts of Physical Activity Can Have Positive Effects on Happiness.” Neuroscience News. January 6, 2017.
Abstract
Happier People Live More Active Lives: Using Smartphones to Link Happiness and Physical Activity
Physical activity — including both deliberate exercise and everyday non-exercise movement — benefits physical health and is also associated with psychological well-being. This study used a smartphone application to gather self-reports of happiness from more than ten thousand participants while passively collecting objective activity data via phone accelerometers. Analyses show that individuals who are generally more active report higher levels of happiness, and that people are happier in moments when they are more active. These relationships were evident both when activity was assessed subjectively and when measured objectively by accelerometer data. The findings suggest that modest, routine physical movements throughout the day, not only formal exercise, are linked to improved mood. The study also illustrates the value of smartphones for collecting large-scale, naturalistic data about behaviour and well-being.
“Happier People Live More Active Lives: Using Smartphones to Link Happiness and Physical Activity” by Lathia, N.; Sandstrom, G. M.; Mascolo, C.; and Rentfrow, P. J. PLOS ONE. Published online January 5, 2017. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160589