The Unique Exercise Needs of the Young and Lonely

Mental health problems often originate before age 25. Accordingly, adolescence and early adulthood offer an opportunity to identify modifiable risk factors and consider the value of potential interventions. Possibly the most common risk factor for later life mental health problems is loneliness, the feelings of not belonging or feeling unconnected to others. It is important to recognize that feeling loneliness is not the same as being socially isolated. People often feel lonely even when they are surrounded by others.

Young people are at a high risk for experiencing loneliness. There are many potential factors that contribute to the risks for this age group, such as excessive technology and social media use, low self-esteem, and turbulent life changes. Often, moderate levels of exercise can decrease feelings of loneliness. Unfortunately, feelings of loneliness reduce the likelihood of being physically active.

A recent study investigated the bidirectional association between physical activity and loneliness in the daily lives of young people. They anticipated that physical activity might reduce the level of loneliness or that feelings of loneliness would reduce the willingness to participate in physical activity. The study also determined the potential confounding effect of outside appraisal and whether the subject both enjoyed the exercise or felt competent in performing the physical activity, especially in the presence of others. Finally, the authors considered the subjects’ perceived amount of effort in relation to its effect on feelings of loneliness.

The subject population included about 800 participants (58% female) and in order to account for the age period with the highest risk for experiencing loneliness, the study population was limited to participants aged 15 to 25 years. Physical effort was assessed by each participant using a 7-point scale: 1 corresponded to resting, 2 to sitting, 3 to walking, 4 to household chores such as vacuum cleaning, 5 to biking, 6 to playing tennis, and 7 to running. Subjective loneliness (perceived social isolation) was self-assessed on a 7-point scale: 1 being "not at all," 4 "moderate," and 7 "very much." The participants also rated the statements “I would rather do something else,” “this activity requires effort,” and “I am skilled at doing this activity” on a 7-point scale.

The results indicate that the experience of physical activity had the most significant effect on feelings of loneliness. In contrast, the level of physical activity was not significantly associated with the level of loneliness reported by each subject. The significant inverse correlation between loneliness and physical activity level differed from the results of previous studies. This discrepancy from the past literature is probably because the older cross-sectional studies focused on between-subject differences, which are often based on self-report measures scattered over a period of many days or weeks, leading to high recall bias.

Overall, the current study concluded that for physical activity to have a positive effect on feelings of loneliness, it should be accompanied by feelings of enjoyment, competence, and limited effort. Being physically active may not be enough. Young people want to enjoy the exercise, feel as though they are competent in front of others, and that the exercise is easy to perform with limited effort.