REFLECTIVE AND HEDONIC MOTIVATION RESPONSES DURING EASY, MODERATE, AND VIGOROUS AEROBIC EXERCISE

Motivation related to physical activity is influenced by competing desires to move and rest. These desires are outcomes of reflective and hedonic motivation, and subsequently influence exercise decisions (Williams, 2019). Reflective or thoughtful motivation is linked to the reasoning and planning behind one’s desire to exercise. Conversely, hedonic or emotional motivation is influenced by bodily urges and feelings. Varying intensities of exercise may affect reflective desire or hedonic dread to exercise, thus producing a specific physical-activity related response or behavior. PURPOSE: Determine the effect of varying intensities of aerobic exercise on reflective and hedonic motivation states before, during and after exercise completion. METHODS: 11 participants (8 female; age = 25 ± 10 years; BMI = 24 ± 1; VO2max = 33 ± 9 ml/kg/min) completed exercise testing followed by 3 experimental trials: 20 vigorous mins (Vig), 30 moderate minutes (Mod), and 40 easy mins (Easy). All trials were matched for total work. Motivation to move and rest were assessed using a 0 (none) to 10 (maximal) single-item scale (Filgueiras et al., 2023) during exercise for both hedonic and reflective motivation states. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed several main effects for trial and time across move and rest for both reflective and hedonic motives (p < 0.05) but no interaction effects (p > 0.05). Reflective motivation to move was higher than hedonic motivation to move across all conditions (~2 units), and reflective motivation to move declined more slowly during exercise (~50% less) compared to hedonic motivation. In contrast, hedonic motivation to rest was higher than reflective motivation to rest across all conditions (~1.5 units), and reflective motivation to rest during exercise was stable as hedonic motivation to rest increased significantly (~2 units). Patterns reported are across all three trials of cycle exercise. More robust analyses are required as more data emerges from this ongoing pilot project. CONCLUSIONS: Data indicate that motivation states for movement and rest are greatly impacted by whether the motivation is considered hedonically or reflectively. These findings may have significant implications on how exercise should be prescribed and managed by individuals aiming to be more physically active.