Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 22, 2026
08:16
Movement Retraining using Real-time Feedback of Performance
Published on: January 17, 2013
12.7K
How we walk affects what we remember: gait modifications through biofeedback change negative affective memory bias
Johannes Michalak1, Katharina Rohde2, Nikolaus F Troje3
1Witten Herdecke University, Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, D-58448 Witten, Germany; University of Hildesheim, Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, Marienburger Platz 22, D-31131 Hildesheim, Germany.
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|October 14, 2014
Summary
Walking style, not just intensity, impacts depression. Adopting a depressed walking gait altered memory recall, suggesting gait influences vulnerability to depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Physical exercise, particularly walking, is known to affect depression.
- Previous research focused on exercise intensity and duration.
- This study explores the impact of walking style on depression-related processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if walking style, independent of intensity, influences depression.
- To examine the effect of gait manipulation on emotional memory bias.
Main Methods:
- Undergraduates (N=39) adopted either a depressed or happy walking style using biofeedback.
- Walking intensity (speed) was kept constant across conditions.
- Participants encoded and recalled emotionally charged words during walking.
Main Results:
- A significantly lower difference between recalled positive and negative words was observed in the depressed walking style group.
- This indicates a shift in memory bias associated with the manipulated gait.
Conclusions:
- Gait manipulation affects emotional memory bias in a non-clinical population.
- Walking style, in addition to intensity, plays a role in depression vulnerability.
