Affective benefits of cheerleading, spinning and karate: a comparative field study
Description
This study investigated how affective states change before, immediately after, and 60 minutes following participation in cheerleading, spinning, and karate, representing interactive, co-active, and hybrid exercise modalities. Fifty-nine athletes completed validated measures of affective valence, arousal, and positive and negative affect at all three time points during their regular training sessions. Using linear mixed-effects models, the analysis revealed consistent increases in positive affect, feeling state, and arousal immediately after exercise, alongside decreases in negative affect, regardless of sport type. One hour later, most affective responses returned to baseline levels, although feeling state remained slightly elevated. No significant differences emerged across the three modalities, indicating that the short-term emotional benefits of exercise are robust and largely independent of social interaction structure. Overall, the results suggest that common psychophysiological processes, rather than modality-specific features, primarily drive acute improvements in affect during and after exercise.
Files
Steps to reproduce
To reproduce this study, researchers should recruit participants from cheerleading, spinning, and karate classes and administer the Feeling Scale, Felt Arousal Scale, and short-form PANAS at three time points: before exercise, immediately after, and exactly 60 minutes post-session. Data collection should occur in participants’ natural training environments to maintain ecological validity while ensuring standardized instructions and timing. The final questionnaire should be delivered online with timed reminders to ensure compliance. Researchers must document any activities occurring during the 60-minute recovery period to control for confounds. Finally, linear mixed-effects models with participant as a random intercept should be applied to analyze changes across time and sport modalities.
Institutions
- Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem