Influence of aerobic exercise activity and relaxation training on coping with test-taking anxiety

Effectiveness of acute aerobic exercise in regulating emotions in individuals with test anxiety

High levels of test anxiety can cause negative emotional interference and have adverse effects in multiple aspects. It is currently unclear whether acute aerobic exercise can effectively reduce a series of negative emotions triggered by test anxiety. This study investigates the impact of 30 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on the subjective emotional responses and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) in individuals with high test anxiety. Forty-four college students with high test anxiety were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercise group and a control group. Each group underwent two tests, involving subjective scale measurements and resting-state EEG recordings, with a seven-day interval between tests. Results showed that after 30 min of moderate-intensity acute aerobic exercise, the intervention group had significantly reduced scores in subjective negative emotional experiences, and FAA indicators significantly increased. The study suggests that acute aerobic exercise can enhance the emotional regulation ability of college students with high test anxiety and reduce their negative emotions.

Psychological and physiological effects of an acute bout of yoga before a simulated academic exam in university students

Objective: Test anxiety is common among nursing students. Yoga is one form of physical activity which may be beneficial for pretest anxiety. Participants: Thirteen undergraduate students (85% nursing majors, 15% awaiting program entry, 20 ± 4.9 years of age) completed the crossover design study. Methods: Participants completed a yoga or control intervention (independent quiet study) on opposing testing days. At three time points, participants provided ratings of anxiety (visual analog scales), saliva samples for cortisol and alpha amylase, and seated heart rate variability (HRV, time and frequency domains) was recorded. Results: Yoga prior to a simulated exam had a positive impact on subjective measures of stress but did not positively impact cortisol or HRV compared to the control condition. Conclusions: There may be benefits to participating in 30 min of moderate intensity yoga for reduced perception of stress before a scholarly examination. Further research regarding the impacts of acute yoga on physiological measures of HRV and/or cortisol are warranted.

Effects of Exercise Intervention on Students' Test Anxiety: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis

This paper aims to evaluate the effects of exercise intervention on students’ test anxiety with a meta-analysis to serve as a reference to further relevant research. CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and EBSCOhost databases were electronically searched from inception to August 2021 in order to identify randomized and non-randomized controlled trials on exercise for treating students’ test anxiety. Two researchers independently screened the study, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of the studies. Meta-analysis was carried out using Review Manager 5.4 software. Among the 4115 articles retrieved, 16 were qualitative analyses, 15 of which were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that exercise intervention effectively alleviated students’ test anxiety when compared with the blank control group. Subgroup analysis showed that a single exercise intervention lasting 10~15 min did not relieve students’ test anxiety. The different scales used in the study are the source of inter-study heterogeneity. In conclusion, twenty minutes of aerobic exercise at any intensity performed two to three times a week for at least four weeks can reduce test anxiety levels. However, this is the minimum level and students should not be limited to the minimum amount of exercise when reducing test anxiety. In addition, exercise combined with psychotherapy can reduce students’ test anxiety better than exercise intervention alone. Future studies should explore the minimum intervention period and whether the shorter intervention period can quickly and effectively reduce students’ test anxiety.

Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory

Until recently, claims for the psychological benefits of physical exercise have tended to precede supportive evidence. Acutely, emotional effects of exercise remain confusing, both positive and negative effects being reported. Results of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are more consistent in indicating that aerobic exercise training has antidepressant and anxiolytic effects and protects against harmful consequences of stress. Details of each of these effects remain unclear. Antidepressant and anxiolytic effects have been demonstrated most clearly in subclinical disorder, and clinical applications remain to be exploited. Cross-sectional studies link exercise habits to protection from harmful effects of stress on physical and mental health, but causality is not clear. Nevertheless, the pattern of evidence suggests the theory that exercise training recruits a process which confers enduring resilience to stress. This view allows the effects of exercise to be understood in terms of existing psychobiological knowledge, and it can thereby provide the theoretical base that is needed to guide future research in this area. Clinically, exercise training continues to offer clinical psychologists a vehicle for nonspecific therapeutic social and psychological processes. It also offers a specific psychological treatment that may be particularly effective for patients for whom more conventional psychological interventions are less acceptable.

Getting physical Does Exercise Help in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders?

1. Some researchers have stated that the perception of fitness and health may be a better predictor of psychological improvements than actual cardiovascular fitness. 2. It appears reasonable to encourage patients in psychotherapy to participate in a regular exercise program. 3. Adjunct treatments such as exercise may become increasingly important and helpful in the changing health care delivery and reimbursement environment where more short-term and self-help therapies are being strongly encouraged.