Passarello Noemi, Varini Ludovica, Liparoti Marianna, Troisi Lopez Emahnuel, Sorrentino Pierpaolo, Alivernini Fabio, Gigliotta Onofrio, Lucidi Fabio, Mandolesi Laura
Department of Humanities, "Federico II" University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Front Psychol. 2022 Sep 28;13:957281. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.957281. eCollection 2022.
Several studies have shown that physical exercise (PE) improves behavior and cognitive functioning, reducing the risk of various neurological diseases, protecting the brain from the detrimental effects of aging, facilitating body recovery after injuries, and enhancing self-efficacy and self-esteem. Emotion processing and regulation abilities are also widely acknowledged to be key to success in sports. In this study, we aim to prove that regular participation in sports enhances cognitive and emotional functioning in healthy individuals. A sample of 60 students (mean age = 22.12; SD = 2.40; M = 30), divided into sportive and sedentary, were subjected to a neuropsychological tests battery to assess their overall cognitive abilities (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, APM), verbal and graphic fluency (Word Fluency Task and modified Five Point Test, m-FPT), as well as their emotional awareness skills (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20). Our results showed that sportive students performed better than sedentary ones in all cognitive tasks. Regarding emotional processing abilities, significant differences were found in the TAS-20 total score as well as in the Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF) subscale and the Difficulty Identifying Feeling (DIF) subscale. Lastly, gender differences were found in the External-Oriented Thinking (EOT) subscale. Overall, our findings evidence that PE has positive effects on cognitive functioning and emotion regulation, suggesting how sports practice can promote mental health and wellbeing.
多项研究表明，体育锻炼（PE）可改善行为和认知功能，降低患各种神经疾病的风险，保护大脑免受衰老的有害影响，促进受伤后的身体恢复，并增强自我效能感和自尊心。情绪处理和调节能力也被广泛认为是运动成功的关键。在本研究中，我们旨在证明定期参加运动可增强健康个体的认知和情绪功能。将60名学生（平均年龄 = 22.12；标准差 = 2.40；男性 = 30人）分为运动组和久坐组，对他们进行了一系列神经心理测试，以评估他们的整体认知能力（瑞文高级渐进矩阵测验，APM）、言语和图形流畅性（词语流畅性任务和改良的五点测试，m-FPT）以及他们的情绪意识技能（多伦多述情障碍量表，TAS-20）。我们的结果表明，运动组学生在所有认知任务中的表现均优于久坐组学生。在情绪处理能力方面，TAS-20总分以及描述感受困难（DDF）子量表和识别感受困难（DIF）子量表存在显著差异。最后，在外向性思维（EOT）子量表中发现了性别差异。总体而言，我们的研究结果证明体育锻炼对认知功能和情绪调节有积极影响，表明体育锻炼如何促进心理健康和幸福感。
