Making sense of the relationship between physical activity and mental health: an ecological view of physical activity

ABSTRACT

Physical activity has shown to improve mental health. The mechanism of how those activities help mental health remains debated. Attempts have been made to explain that physical activity induces numerous structural changes in the brain that improve symptoms associated with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety disorders. While studies report a generalised relationship between physical activity and mental health, which types of exercise are more advantageous than others, remains to be evaluated. Moreover, elite-level athletes are often considered a vulnerable group for mental health issues and targeted in this type of research, while physical activity benefits many others. This paper aims to elucidate the issue through an ecological view of cognitive science. A view that stipulates that the brain is inextricably linked via the body to its environment in an agent-environment relationship for which it has evolved. Such a relationship makes some aspects of the environment more salient than others based on what it affords the agent. We argue that the biological adaptations associated with physical activity only tell half the story, and that the improvement of mental health stems from what these biological adaptations offer the agent by opening them to a greater number of meaningful affordances.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• physical activities
• ecological view
• cognitive science

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew Cotterill

Matthew Cotterill is an Assistant Psychologist for WALK, a charity supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. He holds an MSc in Psychology and an MSc in Exercise Physiology and has previously worked as a Sport Scientist and Injury Rehabilitation Coach. His interests include the role of exercise in promoting well-being and developing holistic well-being plans for people with autism and learning disabilities.

Yasuhiro Kotera

Yasuhiro Kotera is Associate Professor in Mental Health at the University of Nottingham. As an Accredited Psychotherapist, he has worked internationally treating patients from diverse backgrounds. His research focuses on mental health, cross-culture and self-compassion. He has published more than 150 academic publications evaluating mental health and how it can be improved in different populations.