Washington, June 7 (IANS) Exercise is likely to have a beneficial effect on anger in men, says a new study.
A research team assessed angry mood and emotions in males. The subjects viewed anger-inducing scenes before and after 30 minutes of leg-cycling exercise at 65 percent of their maximal oxygen uptake.
The investigators measured oscillatory brain activity, the event-related late-positive potential (LPP), and self-reports of anger intensity during picture viewing.
‘The major novel finding from this study is that exercise protected against angry mood induction, almost like taking aspirin to prevent a heart attack,’ said lead investigator Nathaniel Thom, stress physiologist.
‘In other words, exercise really is like medicine. However, exercise did not change EEG responses during elicitation of angry emotions in our subjects,’ he added.
With this initial research as a backdrop, Thom and his team suggest that future studies explore the mechanisms underlying the effect of exercise on reducing angry mood, and should consider alternative anger-induction methods for study purposes.
The investigators also propose testing the effects of chronic exercise training on anger and its expression. A long-term exercise regimen may deliver different results, said a release of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Therse findings were presented at the ACSM’s 57th Annual Meeting in Baltimore.
