Loading ...

The hardest part of exercise may not be physical effort, but motivation. A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that aligning workouts with an individual’s personality can significantly boost enjoyment and reduce stress, potentially improving long-term adherence.

“The most important part about exercising is finding something we enjoy and not being discouraged if we don’t immediately find it.” “It’s ok if we don’t enjoy a particular session,” said lead author Flaminia Ronca, PhD, professor of exercise physiology and neuroscience at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, University College London, London, England. “We can try something else,” said Ronca in a press release.

Study Design

This study included 132 healthy adults with a range of fitness levels. At baseline, participants underwent fitness tests to assess strength (eg, push-ups, plank hold, and jumping power) and endurance (person’s ability to absorb oxygen during peak exertion on a cycle ergometer).

Participants were divided into two groups:

• Intervention group: Completed an 8-week home-based cycling and strength training intervention.
• Control group: Participants maintained their usual daily routines.

The participants also completed the surveys at baseline, during the first week, and after the intervention. Participants completed questionnaires in which they rated their enjoyment of the respective training sessions, stress levels (rated on a 1-10 scale), and personality using the established Big Five personality traits: extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness.

The findings revealed clear connections between personality traits and preferred workout style.

“We found some clear connections between personality traits and the type of exercise participants enjoyed most,” Ronca said. “I think this is important because this knowledge can potentially be used to tailor exercise recommendations more individually — and thus help people become and stay more active.”

The analysis showed the following patterns linking personality traits and training preferences:

• Extroverted participants were mostly drawn to high-intensity sessions involving social interactions, such as team sports or high-intensity interval training.
• Participants high in neuroticism also responded well to high-intensity exercise but preferred shorter sessions with built-in breaks and valued privacy. They tended to avoid tracking performance metrics, such as heart rate.
• Those who were high in conscientiousness or openness to experience were the most consistent in completing the program, regardless of enjoyment. Their motivation stemmed from their health goals or intellectual curiosity.

Stress Response

Although both groups began the study with comparable stress levels, participants with high neuroticism in the intervention group showed a significant reduction in perceived stress by the end of the 8 weeks.

“It is fantastic news, as it highlights that those who benefit the most from a reduction in stress respond very well to exercise,” Ronca said.

Key Takeaways

Although all 86 participants who completed the training showed improved physical fitness, those who enjoyed the workouts were more likely to remain consistent. According to the researchers, these findings provide insights into how personality traits influence exercise-related behaviors, exercise enjoyment, long-term motivation, and stress management. These results demonstrate the potential utility of monitoring personality traits in future exercise studies and may aid in the design of training programs tailored to participants’ needs.

This story was translated from Medscape’s German edition.