Can acute exercise be more pleasant? Using audiovisual stimuli: A meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Exercise Science
• Psychology
• Health Behavior

Background:

• Affective responses are crucial for exercise motivation and adherence.
• Understanding how external stimuli influence these responses is key to promoting physical activity.
• Previous research suggests music impacts exercise, but the combined effect of audiovisual stimuli requires further investigation.

Approach:

• A meta-analysis synthesized data from 46 studies with 1292 participants.
• 296 effect sizes were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.
• Meta-regression models identified moderators of audiovisual stimuli's effects on affective responses.

Key Points:

• Audiovisual stimuli significantly increased affective valence and arousal during and after exercise.
• The positive effects were moderated by the type of stimuli (audio-video > audio/video), exercise habits (active individuals), and exercise intensity (self-selected).
• Potential publication bias was noted but did not invalidate the core findings.

Conclusions:

• Audiovisual stimuli are effective in eliciting positive affective responses during exercise.
• This provides a practical strategy for health practitioners to increase exercise participation and adherence.
• Implementing audiovisual interventions can help combat physical inactivity.