Short‐term effects of aerobic exercise on executive processes and emotional reactivity

Abstract

The effect of individual bouts of aerobic exercise on young adults’ performance of an executive processing task (The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, PASAT) and on ratings of emotion and workload (NASA‐Task Load Index, TLX) was assessed in two experiments. In Experiment 1, nine men completed two test sessions during which the PASAT and the TLX were administered prior to and following a 40‐minute bout of cycling. A cold medication (Phenergan VC) was administered prior to exercise in one session; a placebo was given in the other session. PASAT performance increased following exercise, both after the ingestion of the cold medication and following the placebo. TLX ratings changed with practice but were not influenced by exercise. In Experiment 2, 10 women performed the PASAT and provided TLX ratings prior to and following four 120‐minute sessions of cycling and a control session. Participants were given one of three carbohydrate electrolyte drinks or a placebo drink prior to, during, and following cycling. PASAT performance improved significantly following exercise regardless of the type of drink ingested. Exercise did not influence TLX ratings. The results of these experiments add to a growing literature that demonstrates the facilitative effects of acute aerobic exercise on working memory and attentional processes.