“I’m just not feeling it”: Affective processing of episodic physical activity memories differs between physically active and inactive individuals

Abstract

Despite widespread awareness of the physiological and psychological benefits of physical activity, many individuals do not meet recommended guidelines. The current research investigated whether episodic memories of physical activity experiences and the emotions elicited by such memories differ between active and inactive individuals. A total of 40 active individuals (36 females, 4 males; Age X‾ = 20.40) and 36 inactive individuals (31 females, 5 males Age X‾ = 22.67) were asked to retrieve positive and negative memories of physical activity experiences and to rate them for phenomenological characteristics such as vividness, coherence, remembered emotion, and the emotions elicited when recalling those experiences. There was no difference between the active and inactive individuals in the remembered emotion of negative physical activity memories, but the positive memories recalled by active individuals were rated as more positive than those recalled by inactive individuals. The memories recalled by active individuals also elicited ‘in the moment’ emotions that were more positive for positive memories, and less negative for negative memories, compared to those recalled by inactive individuals. The findings are in line with hedonistic theories of physical activity engagement and suggest that futher research exploring the role of physical activity memories, and their associated affective processing, is warranted.