Most people who exercise know that they feel better, meaning happier, after working out. Researchers at Iowa State University now have a better understanding of why, and they also have some unanswered questions. An Iowa State University news release reports that the researchers worked with 17 women with depression, putting each woman through two, 30-minute exercise sessions on a stationary bike – one at moderate intensity and the other at the participants’ preferred intensity. What did they find? Both sessions improved mood, only moderate intensity exercise increased endocannabinoid levels. The researchers don’t know why, and they’re unsure why mood improved even without the endocannabinoid boost. The researchers also found that changes in endocannabinoids were significantly related to the improvement in mood up to 30 minutes after the moderate exercise.
“These results show us that the effect of prescribed moderate-intensity exercise on mood is generally pretty quick and lasts for a while at a relatively sustained rate,” says Jacob Meyer, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University. “However, given that people felt better after the preferred exercise session, even though it didn’t change endocannabinoid levels, multiple factors are likely involved in how exercise makes people feel better.”
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