For those of you frustrated with the guy at the gym powering through a miles-long run while we struggle to stay interested (and hydrated), the answer might be in our personalities. New research from University College London contends that individual personality traits don’t just influence how much we enjoy (or hate) different exercise intensities.
Those same quirks also dictate how productive working out is in relieving our stress.
Appearing in Frontiers in Psychology, the paper reveals that the “Big Five” personality traits can predict baseline fitness, personal exercise preferences, and even one’s ability to stick with a workout program.
Methodology
The researchers enrolled 132 adults from diverse backgrounds into an eight-week home-based cycling and strength-training program or a resting control group.
To start, the researchers put the participants through a battery of lab fitness tests and questionnaires that assessed their personality traits, as well as apparent stress levels. And what the researchers discovered surprised them.
“Personality can determine which intensities and forms of exercises we enjoy the most, or are attracted to; understanding this can help us make a first step in promoting engagement in physical activity in sedentary individuals,” lead author Flaminia Ronca revealed in a press release. “Ultimately, what really matters is that we keep moving by doing something we enjoy.”
Craving Calm? Or Embracing the Burn?
The extroverts performed better in fitness tests right out of the gate, showing higher aerobic capacity and power output. They also enjoyed the highest intensity workouts.
At the other end of the spectrum, participants who rated high in neuroticism showed far less enthusiasm for strenuous workouts. You won’t find them at your local CrossFit. They leaned more toward lower-intensity, home-based exercises. They were also more likely to eschew self-monitoring. No Apple Watches for them.
But the paper wasn’t without a plot twist. These same high-neuroticism individuals reported the most dramatic drop in stress levels by the end of the eight-week program. Simply put, in spite of their aversion to high-intensity training, they benefited the most – at least emotionally.
Persistence Drives Progress.
The more diligent study participants excelled in strength-based tasks (such as planks and push-ups) while maintaining a more consistent routine. But they didn’t necessarily find any one particular workout more enjoyable than any other. That, the researchers suggest, means that they might be more motivated by long-term goals than any instance gratification.
Agreeableness and openness personality traits played more nuanced roles. Agreeable people (slightly) favored easy, steady exercise, while the more open individuals appeared to be less likely to enjoy high-intensity routines. The researchers say it could be because those participants are more sensitive to bodily discomfort.
Adherence and Accountability
In terms of sticking with the program, personality reared its head again.
- Highly neurotic participants were less likely to turn in their exercise data to researchers, but were just as reluctant to drop out of the study.
- Extroverts, despite enjoying their zealous workouts, were less likely to show up for post-program testing.
- Open participants were most likely to return for the follow-up evaluations.
Notably, while personality clearly shaped preferences and stress outcomes, it didn’t seem to be a reliable leading indicator of which individuals benefited the most from the program. Every single participant in the exercise group showed gains in aerobic capacity, strength, and weekly physical activity.
Tailored Exercise Programs
These study results suggest that fitness professionals – and their clients – could benefit from workout programs tailored to their personality types. Boosting interest – and, by extension – adherence – could help all of us get a little closer to global health guidelines that have long seemed out of reach for so many.
“We hope that if people can find physical activities that they enjoy they will more readily choose to do them,” senior author Paul Burgess, from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, concluded. “After all, we don’t have to nag dogs to go for a walk: being so physically inactive that we start to feel miserable might be a peculiarly human thing to do. In effect, our body punishes us by making us miserable. But for some reason, many of us humans seem poor at picking up on these messages it is sending to our brain.”
The message couldn’t be clearer. The best workout isn’t about reps or steps. It starts with a closer look in the mirror.
Further Reading
Exercise is Even Better Than We Thought for Brain Health
How the ‘Big 5’ Personality Traits Influence Dementia Risk
Exercise Proves Effective in Combating Insomnia in Older Adults
