(Press-News.org) 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.
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact:
Dr Matt Midgley
+44 (0)20 7679 9064
m.midgley@ucl.ac.uk
1 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.
2 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.
Publication:
Flaminia Ronca et al. ‘Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training programme’ is published in Frontiers in Psychology and is strictly embargoed until Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 05:01 BST / 00:01 ET.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1587472
About UCL – London’s Global University
UCL is a diverse global community of world-class academics, students, industry links, external partners, and alumni. Our powerful collective of individuals and institutions work together to explore new possibilities.
Since 1826, we have championed independent thought by attracting and nurturing the world's best minds. Our community of more than 50,000 students from 150 countries and over 16,000 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.
The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2024, we are consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the world and are one of only a handful of institutions rated as having the strongest academic reputation and the broadest research impact.
We have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and research – championing innovation, creativity and cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and contributors.
For almost 200 years, we are proud to have opened higher education to students from a wide range of backgrounds and to change the way we create and share knowledge.
We were the first in England to welcome women to university education and that courageous attitude and disruptive spirit is still alive today. We are UCL.
www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow @uclnews on Bluesky | Read news at www.ucl.ac.uk/news/ | Listen to UCL podcasts on SoundCloud | View images on Flickr | Find out what’s on at UCL Mind
END
Personality type can predict which forms of exercise people enjoy
2025-07-08
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
People can accurately judge biodiversity through sight and sound
2025-07-08
People’s intuitive perception of biodiversity through visual and audio cues is remarkably accurate and aligns closely with scientific measures of biodiversity. This is according to new research published in the British Ecological Society journal, People and Nature.
In a new study led by researchers at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, participants with no ecological training were asked to sort ...
People diagnosed with dementia are living longer, global study shows
2025-07-08
A person diagnosed with dementia has improved survival outcomes in recent years amid significant progress in dementia diagnosis and care, according to a recent multinational study led by a University of Waterloo researcher.
The study analyzed data from more than 1.2 million people over the age of 60 living with dementia in eight global regions between 2000 and 2018. It found that in five of those regions, including Ontario, a lower risk of death exists today than in previous years.
“Dementia is a global public health priority,” said Dr. Hao Luo, assistant ...
When domesticated rabbits go feral, new morphologies emerge
2025-07-08
Originally bred for meat and fur, the European rabbit has become a successful invader worldwide. When domesticated breeds return to the wild and feralise, the rabbits do not simply revert to their wild form – they experience distinct, novel anatomical changes.
Associate Professor Emma Sherratt, from the University of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences, led a team of international experts to assess the body sizes and skull shapes of 912 wild, feral and domesticated rabbits to determine how feralisation affects the animal.
“Feralisation ...
Rain events could cause major failure of Waikīkī storm drainage by 2050
2025-07-08
Existing sea level rise models for coastal cities often overlook the impacts of rainfall on infrastructure. Researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa discovered that by 2050, large rain events combined with sea level rise could cause flooding severe enough to disrupt transportation and contaminate stormwater inlets across 70% of Waikīkī on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, due to interactions with water in the Ala Wai Canal. Their study was published recently in Scientific Reports.
“We’ve known that sea level rise will reduce the capacity for our drainage system to handle surface runoff, however, including rainfall events in our models showed ...
Breakthrough in upconversion luminescence research: Uncovering the energy back transfer mechanism
2025-07-08
A recent study has made a breakthrough in the understanding of upconversion luminescent materials, particularly in revealing the energy back transfer (EBT) mechanism between Yb3+ and Er3+ ions. Researchers utilized Er3+-doped Yb3+-self-activated NaYb(MoO4)2 phosphor and crystal, as well as Yb3+/Er3+ codoped NaBi(MoO4)2 crystal as research subjects to investigate the effects of factors such as excitation power density and Yb3+ ion concentration on the EBT process. Through the study of various samples in different states (phosphors and crystals) and different doping conditions, they ...
Hidden role of 'cell protector' opens cancer treatment possibilities
2025-07-08
Landmark research on MCL-1, a critical protein that is an attractive target for cancer drug development, helps explain why some promising cancer treatments are causing serious side effects, and offers a roadmap for designing safer, more targeted therapies.
The WEHI-led discovery, published in Science, has uncovered a critical new role for MCL-1, revealing it not only prevents cell death but also provides cells with the energy they need to function.
The findings reshape our understanding ...
How plants build the microbiome they need to survive in a tough environment
2025-07-08
New research from Northern Arizona University points to the idea that under some conditions plants can “curate” their microbiomes—selecting good microbes and suppressing harmful ones—to adapt to their environments. The findings have significant implications for sustainable agriculture and offer a greater understanding of how complex ecosystems adapt in a changing environment.
Regents’ Professor Nancy Collins Johnson in the School of Earth and Sustainability at NAU and professor César Marín from Universidad Santo Tomás in Chile authored the paper, published in July in The ISME ...
Depression due to politics and its quiet danger to democracy addressed in new book 'The Sad Citizen'
2025-07-07
On laptop screens, televisions and social media feeds across the nation, images and words fueled by a fractured political landscape spout anger, frustration and resentment. Clashing ideologies burst forth in public demonstrations, family gatherings and digital echo chambers.
Red-hot rhetoric and finger-pointing memes are open expressions of emotions generated by engaging in politics. But there is another set of emotions far less incendiary but just as damaging to democracy. These feelings can push people to the sidelines and drive them to silence.
Disappointment. Grief. Loss.
The reasons for this phenomenon, along with its effects on mental health, are the subject of “The ...
International experts and patients unite to help ensure all patients are fully informed before consenting to new surgical procedures
2025-07-07
Leading global doctors, researchers, and lawyers have joined forces with patient representatives and created the first-ever information guide to better support and protect patients across the world who are considering pioneering, but also potentially risky, surgery.
The comprehensive seven-step set of essential information, co-led by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the University of Bristol, was published today in the British Journal of Surgery.
It sets out clearly what patients must be told by their surgeon or clinician before undergoing innovative procedures and coincides with the fifth anniversary ...
Melting glaciers could trigger more explosive eruptions globally, finds research
2025-07-07
Melting glaciers may be silently setting the stage for more explosive and frequent volcanic eruptions in the future, according to research on six volcanoes in the Chilean Andes.
Presented today [Tuesday 8 July] at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, the study suggests that hundreds of dormant subglacial volcanoes worldwide – particularly in Antarctica – could become more active as climate change accelerates glacier retreat.
The link between retreating glaciers and increased volcanic activity has been known in Iceland since the 1970s, but this ...