The effects of 10,000 steps on well-being, cognition and behaviour: A 14-day walking experiment

Walking is widely accessible and targets such as the 10,000-step benchmark have become widely popularised. However, this target has received limited experimental testing for its psychological, cognitive and behavioural effects. Addressing this gap, we conducted a randomised, between-subjects, 14-day trial with university students (N = 195; n_{intervention =} 90, n_control = 105) to examine the effects of adopting a daily 10,000-step walking goal on well-being, cognitive and goal pursuit outcomes. Participants in the intervention condition were instructed to walk 10,000 steps daily and received daily online nudges, while controls were waitlisted and received no reminders. The 14-day, 10,000-step intervention was successful in increasing average daily steps (d = 0.55, p = 0.001). The intervention showed robust between-condition effects for lower negative affect, d = -0.41, p = 0.005; fewer cognitive failures, d = -0.43, p = 0.003; and less procrastination, d = -0.48, p < 0.001. By showing significant, favourable post-assessment in well-being, cognition and self-regulation, this study highlights the potential of step-based goals as a low-cost and scalable strategy for shaping behaviour and psychological outcomes.