ALIGNING WORKOUTS WITH PERSONALITY BOOSTS FITNESS AND SLASHES STRESS

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 University College London (UCL).

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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. The team wanted to understand how personality can influence and support the development of effective interventions for changes in health behaviour.