What if you could do something for 30 minutes a day to make you a happier person? Oh wait, you can! It's called exercise.
Most common reasons for exercising include, weight control, strength training, healthier lifestyle, etc. But most people don't know that exercising is scientifically proven to release endorphins, your body's chemical that promotes a feeling of happiness.
A recent study at Penn State had similar conclusions, "Researchers from the Penn State University found in their study that the more physically active people reported greater general feelings of excitement and enthusiasm, compared with the less physically active people.
"We found that people who are more physically active have more pleasant-activated feelings than people who are less active, and we also found that people have more pleasant-activated feelings on days when they are more physically active than usual," study researcher Amanda Hyde, a kinesiology graduate student at Penn State, said in a statement.
"The study tracked the daily activities of 190 college-age students, who were asked to journal the amount and level of physical activity they got in their free time (15 minutes or more), the amount and quality of sleep they got each night, and their overall mental states (like stress and their feelings). At the end of each day for eight days, the participants gave their journals to the researchers."
"Our results suggest that not only are there chronic benefits of physical activity, but there are discrete benefits as well," Hyde said in the statement. "Doing more exercise than you typically do can give you a burst of pleasant-activated feelings. So today, if you want a boost, go do some moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise."
