Study: High mental well-being associated with more physically active lifestyle in midlife

Staying physically active in midlife depends a lot on your overall satisfaction with life or mental wellbeing a decade earlier, not just your physical health, suggests new research. Men and women with high mental well-being at the age of 42 were more physically active at the age of 50 compared to those who got lower scores in mental well-being at age 42, said the study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life. The researchers investigated mental well-being through three dimensions: emotional, psychological and social well-being.

Emotional well-being indicates overall satisfaction with life and a tendency to have positive feelings. Psychological well-being refers to experiences of personal growth and the purpose of life. Social well-being tells about relationships with other people and the community. The researchers found that leisure time physical activity did not predict later mental well-being or subjective health, but mental well-being predicted physical activity.

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