Stress responses during aerobic exercise in relation to motivational dominance and state

Comparison of metamotivational dominance and cultural identity between Japanese National Team and Māori All Blacks rugby players

This pilot study used a reversal theory framework to examine metamotivational dominance of rugby players on the Māori All Blacks (MABs) squad of New Zealand and the Japanese National Team (JNT). Since the two groups have different cultural team demographics, cultural identity was also examined. Twenty six players from the MABs and 31 from the JNT completed questionnaires on metamotivational dominance and cultural identity. In terms of metamotivational dominance, the findings indicated that the MABs were more playful minded and spontaneous oriented than the JNT. Regarding cultural identity, the JNT showed a greater knowledge of their own culture and higher comfort level in their cultural context, while the MABs felt more positive and willing to sustain their own culture. The motivational personality differences between the teams may reflect the style of play that is valued within each team culture that is, flair, spontaneity and high-risk play within Māori rugby, and structure, team unity and conformity within the JNT. This suggests that metamotivational dominance of teams and players is influenced by the cultural identity of both the individuals and the group, which may have a further impact on team cohesion and performance.

Stress, Emotions, and Motivational States Among Traditional Dancers in New Zealand and Japan

This study used a reversal theory framework to examine motivational dominance and changes in motivational state, arousal, stress, and emotions among members of traditional Japanese (Nihon Odori Sports Science (NOSS)) and New Zealand (Kapa Haka) dance groups. Eighty-four participants (50 in Japan and 34 in New Zealand) completed questionnaires on each variable before and after a dance class. The findings indicated that the Kapa Haka dancers were significantly more playful and arousal-seeking than the NOSS dancers. They also reported higher overall arousal, preferred arousal, and effort during performance while the NOSS dancers became more serious afterward. Data on emotions matched those of arousal in that the Kapa Haka dancers felt significantly more excited and provocative after the session. The NOSS dancers were more relaxed and placid, both overall and after dancing. These patterns were consistent with the dancers' respective motivational states and motivational dominance, and suggest that both dances can be effective in reducing negative affect. They also suggest that psychological effects are dependent upon performers' personal and cultural affiliation with the two dance forms.

Motivational State and Personality in Relation to Emotion, Stress, and HRV Responses to Aerobic Exercise

Abstract. This study examined emotion, stress, and performance during aerobic exercise performed in the telic and paratelic states, in relation to telic and paratelic dominance. The study tested the misfit effect and is the first to examine heart rate variability (HRV) responses to exercise in relation to both personality and motivational state. Based on their Paratelic Dominance Scale scores, participants identified as telic dominant (TD) and paratelic dominant (PD) completed ramp tests following telic and paratelic state manipulations (repeated measures). In each condition, participants watched “serious” (telic) or “playful” (paratelic) videos for 10 min, then performed a ramp test on a cycle ergometer while continuing to watch the videos throughout the entire protocol. Motivational state (telic/paratelic), HRV, emotion, and stress levels were measured at baseline, pre, post, and 15 min post-ramp test. Time to exhaustion was measured as an index of performance. Limited support was obtained for the misfit effect as interactions between state and dominance were not revealed for any of the variables with the exception of low frequent (LF) and the low frequent/high frequent ratio (LF/HF % normalized), which can be interpreted as indicating that both groups were more relaxed in their preferred state condition. Regardless, findings offer useful insight into methodological considerations for similar studies, such as consideration of the moderating effects of exercise characteristics. Our findings also confirm a number of reversal theory ( Apter, 1982 ) proposals including the concept of dominance as an individual difference factor, with varying characteristics of different dominances, based on physiological response variables. We recommend continued research into the misfit effect with larger samples, and designs that accommodate the methodological considerations raised by the present results.

The effects of stress on physical activity and exercise

BACKGROUND

Psychological stress and physical activity (PA) are believed to be reciprocally related; however, most research examining the relationship between these constructs is devoted to the study of exercise and/or PA as an instrument to mitigate distress.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this paper was to review the literature investigating the influence of stress on indicators of PA and exercise.

METHODS

A systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus was employed to find all relevant studies focusing on human participants. Search terms included "stress", "exercise", and "physical activity". A rating scale (0-9) modified for this study was utilized to assess the quality of all studies with multiple time points.

RESULTS

The literature search found 168 studies that examined the influence of stress on PA. Studies varied widely in their theoretical orientation and included perceived stress, distress, life events, job strain, role strain, and work-family conflict but not lifetime cumulative adversity. To more clearly address the question, prospective studies (n = 55) were considered for further review, the majority of which indicated that psychological stress predicts less PA (behavioral inhibition) and/or exercise or more sedentary behavior (76.4 %). Both objective (i.e., life events) and subjective (i.e., distress) measures of stress related to reduced PA. Prospective studies investigating the effects of objective markers of stress nearly all agreed (six of seven studies) that stress has a negative effect on PA. This was true for research examining (a) PA at periods of objectively varying levels of stress (i.e., final examinations vs. a control time point) and (b) chronically stressed populations (e.g., caregivers, parents of children with a cancer diagnosis) that were less likely to be active than controls over time. Studies examining older adults (>50 years), cohorts with both men and women, and larger sample sizes (n > 100) were more likely to show an inverse association. 85.7 % of higher-quality prospective research (≥ 7 on a 9-point scale) showed the same trend. Interestingly, some prospective studies (18.2 %) report evidence that PA was positively impacted by stress (behavioral activation). This should not be surprising as some individuals utilize exercise to cope with stress. Several other factors may moderate stress and PA relationships, such as stages of change for exercise. Habitually active individuals exercise more in the face of stress, and those in beginning stages exercise less. Consequently, stress may have a differential impact on exercise adoption, maintenance, and relapse. Preliminary evidence suggests that combining stress management programming with exercise interventions may allay stress-related reductions in PA, though rigorous testing of these techniques has yet to be produced.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the majority of the literature finds that the experience of stress impairs efforts to be physically active. Future work should center on the development of a theory explaining the mechanisms underlying the multifarious influences of stress on PA behaviors.