Abstract
Regular exercise is associated with mental health throughout the life course but the chain-of-causality underlying this association remains to be established. Does regular exercise actively improve mental health, or are there alternative explanations for this association? In this chapter, we show that part of the same set of genetic factors that influence whether people participate in regular exercise also affect mental health outcomes. Based on a review of published evidence we conclude that, in the population at large, the association between exercise participation and higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness and lower levels of anxiety and depression is not causal. Instead, these associations are best explained by underlying factors with a genetic etiology that influence both exercise behavior as well as mental health. New work in this chapter then examines the personality traits neuroticism and extraversion as a potential source of this genetic pleiotropy. Neuroticism behaves like anxiety and depressive symptoms in that its association with exercise behavior is due entirely to shared genetic factors. For extraversion, although part of its association to exercise is also due to shared genetic factors, we find support for a causal influence on regular exercise behavior.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Exercise Effect on Mental Health |
| Subtitle of host publication | Neurobiological Mechanisms |
| Publisher | CRC, Taylor and Francis |
| Chapter | 3 |
| Pages | 67-99 |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781498739528 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781498739511, 9780815348863 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2018 |
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Bibliographical note
eBook Published17 April 2018Cite this
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Causality in the associations between exercise, personality, and mental health. / De Moor, Marleen; De Geus, Eco.
The Exercise Effect on Mental Health: Neurobiological Mechanisms. CRC, Taylor and Francis, 2018. p. 67-99.Research output: Chapter in Book / Report / Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic › peer-review
TY - CHAP
T1 - Causality in the associations between exercise, personality, and mental health
AU - De Moor, Marleen
AU - De Geus, Eco
N1 - eBook Published17 April 2018
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Regular exercise is associated with mental health throughout the life course but the chain-of-causality underlying this association remains to be established. Does regular exercise actively improve mental health, or are there alternative explanations for this association? In this chapter, we show that part of the same set of genetic factors that influence whether people participate in regular exercise also affect mental health outcomes. Based on a review of published evidence we conclude that, in the population at large, the association between exercise participation and higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness and lower levels of anxiety and depression is not causal. Instead, these associations are best explained by underlying factors with a genetic etiology that influence both exercise behavior as well as mental health. New work in this chapter then examines the personality traits neuroticism and extraversion as a potential source of this genetic pleiotropy. Neuroticism behaves like anxiety and depressive symptoms in that its association with exercise behavior is due entirely to shared genetic factors. For extraversion, although part of its association to exercise is also due to shared genetic factors, we find support for a causal influence on regular exercise behavior.
AB - Regular exercise is associated with mental health throughout the life course but the chain-of-causality underlying this association remains to be established. Does regular exercise actively improve mental health, or are there alternative explanations for this association? In this chapter, we show that part of the same set of genetic factors that influence whether people participate in regular exercise also affect mental health outcomes. Based on a review of published evidence we conclude that, in the population at large, the association between exercise participation and higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness and lower levels of anxiety and depression is not causal. Instead, these associations are best explained by underlying factors with a genetic etiology that influence both exercise behavior as well as mental health. New work in this chapter then examines the personality traits neuroticism and extraversion as a potential source of this genetic pleiotropy. Neuroticism behaves like anxiety and depressive symptoms in that its association with exercise behavior is due entirely to shared genetic factors. For extraversion, although part of its association to exercise is also due to shared genetic factors, we find support for a causal influence on regular exercise behavior.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85049655980&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4324/9781315113906
DO - 10.4324/9781315113906
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9781498739511
SN - 9780815348863
SP - 67
EP - 99
BT - The Exercise Effect on Mental Health
PB - CRC, Taylor and Francis
ER -