The effect of exercise on depression, anxiety, and other mood states

Byrne, A. & Byrne, D.G. (1993). The effect of exercise on depression, anxiety, and other mood states. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 37, 565-574.

This review supports the claim that exercise treatments are associated with positive psychological benefits for both clinical and non-clinical populations. Although most of the studies employed aerobic interventions, some studies even showed positive improvements associated with non-aerobic exercise (e.g. weight lifting). However, all of these results need to be interpreted with caution as the result of methodological limitations and indirect evidence. If future studies were to show unequivocally positive psychological gains are caused by exercise interventions, including exercise for people with affective disorders will undoubtedly have a number of advantages since it is time and cost effective by comparison to psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, comes with few side effects if done correctly, and may even by used to prophylactically prevent the occurrence of future affective episodes.