Summary: A new study shows matching your personality to the type of exercise you enjoy may help you stick with it and reduce stress. Researchers found extroverts preferred high-intensity workouts, while people high in neuroticism favored short bursts of activity and saw greater stress reduction from exercise.
Conscientious individuals were generally fitter but less driven by enjoyment than by health benefits. The findings suggest tailoring fitness plans to personality could improve long-term adherence and well-being.
Key Facts:
- Personality Match: Extroverts enjoy high-intensity exercise, neurotic individuals prefer short bursts and privacy.
- Stress Relief: Exercise significantly reduced stress for those high in neuroticism.
- Conscientiousness: Linked to fitness and discipline, but not necessarily to exercise enjoyment.
Source: UCL
The key to sticking to and reaping the rewards of exercise over the long term may be as simple as doing something you enjoy, say the authors of a new study from UCL.
Previous research has shown that the personalities of people who engage in different types of organised sport tend to vary. But what is less clear is how personality affects the types of exercise people actually enjoy doing.
The new study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, explored whether individual personality traits corresponded to the enjoyment of different types of exercise, whether participants completed a prescribed exercise programme, and the subsequent impact on their fitness levels.
The study found several correlations between exercise type and personality traits, including extroverts’ enjoyment of high intensity exercise and the preference of those with the neuroticism trait – associated with people prone to worrying – for short bursts of activity rather than prolonged effort.
Dr Flaminia Ronca, first author of the study from UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH), said: “We know that the global population is becoming increasingly sedentary. You often hear about people trying to become more active, but struggling to make lasting changes.
“In this study, we wanted to understand how personality can influence this to support the development of effective interventions for changes in health behaviour.
“We found some clear links between personality traits and the type of exercise the participants enjoyed most, which I think is important because we could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual – and hopefully help them to become and remain more active.”
For the study, the team assessed 132 volunteers from the general public with a range of fitness levels and backgrounds, who were assigned either to an eight-week cycling and strength training programme (intervention group), or to a resting control group1.
Participants’ benchmark fitness levels were assessed at the beginning of the programme. Strength was tested via press ups, performing a plank to failure, and countermovement jumps (jumping again immediately after landing).
This was followed by a low intensity cycling session for 30 minutes, and then a cycling test to measure their peak oxygen capacity (V̇O2 max test) after a short rest.
The team also assessed their perceived stress levels on a scale of one to 10, as well as their personality traits using the Big 5 model, a common personality test in the field of sport and exercise psychology. The Big 5 model groups individuals according to whether their dominant trait is extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism or openness2.
During the exercise programme, participants were asked to rate their enjoyment of each exercise session, before having their fitness level tested again once the programme had been completed.
Of the 132 starters, 86 people completed the intervention and all of these participants got fitter and stronger regardless of personality.
How personality trait influences exercise enjoyment
While not all personality traits had a link to exercise enjoyment, several connections were uncovered by the study.
Extroverts tended to particularly enjoy high intensity exercise, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT) and a fitness test of maximum intensity cycling.
Those with a strong neuroticism trait engaged well with the exercise intervention, but preferred bursts of intensity rather than prolonged intensity. They also preferred not being monitored, such as not recording their heart rate while undertaking the programme, suggesting that these individuals might appreciate being given space for independence and privacy when engaging in exercise.
Those who were conscientious tended to have a well-rounded fitness level, meaning that they tended to score more highly on aerobic fitness as well as core strength, and were generally more physically active. However, conscientiousness didn’t predict higher enjoyment of a specific form of exercise.
The authors say this might be because conscientious individuals tend to be driven by the health-related outcomes of engaging in physical activity rather than enjoyment, suggesting that adherence to the programme may be less about enjoyment than because it was ‘good for them’.
The impact of personality and exercise on stress
At the beginning of the study, the stress levels of the intervention group and the control group were similar. However, the only group to experience a significant reduction in stress levels after exercising were those who scored highly in the neuroticism trait.
Professor Paul Burgess, an author of the study from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said: “We found that people who scored more highly in the neuroticism personality trait showed a particularly strong reduction in stress when they undertook the fitness training recommended in the study. This suggests that there may be particular benefits in stress reduction for those with this trait.”
The researchers concluded that the most important thing people can do to improve their activity levels is to find something that they enjoy, which will make it more likely that they’ll stick with it.
The programme consisted of:
- Three weekly cycling sessions of varying intensity: a 60-minute light ride at an easy pace, a 30 min threshold ride at a moderate but sustainable effort, or a High Intensity Interval Training session where the level of exertion varied.
- One weekly bodyweight strength session.
The five traits measured in The Big 5 model are:
- Extroversion: how energetic, outgoing, and sociable an individual is, including how much they seek company and stimulation.
- Agreeableness: Involves attributes related to cooperation, trust, compassion, and a considerate nature toward others.
- Conscientiousness: Reflects traits like orderliness, reliability, and the drive to achieve goals through careful planning and persistence.
- Neuroticism: Measures emotional stability and the tendency to experience negative emotions like anxiety, mood swings, or irritability.
- Openness: Describes a person’s willingness to try new experiences, curiosity about the world, and imagination.
About this personality trait and exercise research news
Author: Matt Midgley
Source: UCL
Contact: Matt Midgley – UCL
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training programme” by Flaminia Ronca et al. Frontiers in Psychology
Abstract
Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training programme
Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine if personality can predict physical fitness, enjoyment of exercise by intensity, and engagement in an exercise program in the general population.
Methods: Participants were assigned to either an 8-week home-based cycling and strength training intervention or a resting control group.
Results: Personality traits were strong predictors of baseline fitness levels, and of enjoyment of different exercise intensities. For example, conscientiousness predicted greater general fitness and more weekly hours of physical activity, whereas extraversion and neuroticism predicted higher V̇O2peak and poorer heart rate recovery, respectively.
Extraversion also predicted greater enjoyment of highest intensity activities, whereas neuroticism predicted lower enjoyment of activities which required sustained effort. Importantly, those who scored high on neuroticism benefited the most from potential stress-reducing effects of aerobic training.
Discussion: These findings provide insight into how personality can determine engagement with physical activity, and the degree to which one enjoys different forms of exercise, thus aiding the development of tailored exercise programs.
