Is approaching sedentary behaviour or physical activity a reward? An EEG study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo understand why individuals (do not) exercise, our study examined differences in approach and avoidance tendencies towards physical activity and sedentary behaviours among runners and non-runners, especially at the neural level. MethodsUsing electroencephalography (EEG), 31 participants completed an approach-avoidance task. ResultsWe found that at the behavioural level, non-runners were faster to approach sedentary behaviour relative to runners. However, at the neural level, they both had a tendency to avoid physical activity. Specifically, avoiding physical activity had less conflict monitoring (smaller N1), required more cognitive processes (larger P3), and was more neurologically efficient (higher alpha coherence). ConclusionsThese results supported the theory of effort minimization in physical activity (TEMPA), with both runners and non-runners regarding sedentary behaviour as a reward. Data Availability StatementThe authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article [and/or] its supplementary materials.