High Heart Rates Lead to High Hopes

Depression... a general lack of feeling

Running, jumping, lifting weights, and stretching are all considered forms of exercise. A healthy diet helps your body maintain the appropriate levels of nutrients and vitamins. Playing on a team develops social skills and problem solving techniques. Exercising on one's own promotes self-control and discipline. Exercise has always been considered good for the body, but a relatively new study suggests that physical exercise can promote mental well-being as well.


Depression is a pervasive, genetic mental illness which subtly infects almost all aspects of the afflicted person's personal life. Depression is characterized by anorexia (loss of appetite), anhedonia (a loss of pleasure in activities that the afflicted once found pleasurable), fatigue, sadness, irritability, and more. It is difficult to diagnose, much less medicate, correctly. Though the biological cause of depression hasn't been confirmed, its symptoms are well documented. If you'd like to learn more about what it feels like to be depressed, please watch the TED talk embedded below.

New evidence suggests that physical exercise is thought to give new life to people suffering from depression. According to PhD candidate George Mammen's analysis of over 26 years of publications, outlined in a review published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, "low levels of physical activity (walking and gardening for 20-30 minutes a day) can ward off depression in people of all age groups." Yet, what does physical exercise have to do with increased happiness? The truth is, no one knows. But, Mammen's meta-analysis may point scientists in the direction of a biological cause or an indicator.

Though the biological cause of depression is still controversial, the effects of exercise on general happiness are well-documented. Mammen's closing statements proclaim that it is "that if [someone] is currently active, [they] should sustain it. If [they're] not physically active, [they] should initiate the habit. This review shows promising evidence that the impact of being active goes far beyond the physical."

Whatever the case, if you're feeling depressed, go outside. Or better yet, work up a sweat.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131028163003.htm
http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_breel_confessions_of_a_depressed_comic
(Inspired by lecture (2/4/14) by Rebecca Silton)