Why exercise increases happiness and connection

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There has been a lot of talk lately about exercise being THE most important pillar of health.  I’m not going to argue or support it, but what it does tell us is that exercise is essential. 
 
And of course, intuitively and otherwise, we know this. We need it for our heart and cardiovascular health, our muscles, our bones, our balance, for weight management, our coordination and our ability to do every day activities. 
 
But why does it have such a big impact on our moods? Why do we often experience a powerful sense of connection with others, both during and after exercise?
 

Exercise literally changes our brain chemistry

 
In fact, our entire physiology was engineered to reward us for moving. 
 
Kelly McGonigal, PhD, health psychologist, lecturer at Stanford and author, wrote a fascinating book in 2019 called The Joy of Movement: How exercise helps us find happiness, hope, connection and courage. She calls the book, "a love letter to movement and to human nature". It focuses on how exercise and movement permeate our lives in ways that are critical to our livelihood – in ways we may not realize or appreciate.
 
Some of these include:
 

  • An enhanced connection with others

  • An antidote to loneliness

  • Reduction of depression and social anxiety

  • Reduction in grief

  • Management of brain diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease

 
As hunters and gatherers…
Dr. McGonigal says that if we go back to early times, we physically had to do difficult things to survive, and our brain found a way to reward us for that. Specifically, it rewarded us for being active and engaged in life.  And the reward wasn’t necessarily about “making us healthy”, rather our brain released chemicals to give us energy, courage, optimism, hope and a sense of connection with others. This in turn helped us continue to be active, which meant survival.

Our brain reads movement, be it walking, yoga, gardening, playing with kids, running, strength training, tennis, pickleball and so on. Specifically, it reads this movement as being engaged in life.
 
Are there different chemicals released based on effort? 
Yes, but that’s not the emphasis here. There is no one recipe for getting the ideal benefit from exercise.
 
Having said that, for most people, moderate physical activity is enough to reap mental health benefits. It’s how human beings both survive and thrive in life – not too intense, but not too casual. Moderate physical activity would be when your breath quickens, your heart rate goes up and you are sweating, but you feel like you can keep going.
 
What chemicals are we referring to?
Think dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin and endocannabinoids.
 
We know dopamine and serotonin are two key mood enhancers off the top, but let’s talk about the neurotransmitters endorphins and endocannabinoids for a minute.  
 
Most of us have heard of the runners high and its association with endorphins.  Runners high is the change in brain chemistry that McGonigal says is the classic reward for being engaged in life through your body. But while endorphins help relieve pain and improve our sense of well-being, it’s actually the endocannabinoids (yes, the chemical mimicked by cannabis) that researchers believe give us that euphoric-like effect, reducing anxiety and enhancing feelings of calm.
 
And if we are feeling good about ourselves, and life overall, then our ability to connect with others is enhanced.
 
Therefore these chemicals, combined with the release* of oxytocin that helps reduce anxiety and increase empathy, are one of the big reasons why exercise/movement are such powerful antidotes to loneliness, social anxiety and depression. 
 
It is one of the few things we know that actually creates the brain chemistry that makes us more open to connecting with others, and able to overcome the anxiety to experience the moments of joy that come with being with others. 
 
The social impact of exercise and movement
There are a lot of benefits in doing things with others – whether it be exercise, cooking, dancing, studying… anything in a group. That’s why companies have team building activities – they break down barriers. It’s the same with exercise. We have an instinct to connect with others and trust others if we are moving in sync together – whether it be running, doing yoga or a salsa class. 
 
There are literally communities that form around movement. It’s one of the reasons why CrossFit became so popular – the focus was about doing hard things in a group, and it’s the group that pushed everyone beyond their perceived abilities. If we go back to the hunters and gatherers, the same thing happened when in pursuit of large game. 

Social impact from a different perspective is shown with the myriad of running groups.  This articleprofiles three individuals in the UK who joined running groups as beginners in their respective towns, because they knew they needed to do something for their mental health. What none of them anticipated was the incredible social (and often therapeutic) network they became a part of. 
 
And yet it doesn’t have to be about being in a group – if one goes out for a run or a workout or any sort of activity where one pushes themselves a little more than usual, most often their outlook on life when they get back is much more embracing of others than before the run.  We feel fuller – more accepting of ourselves and others. 
 
So… how long before we embrace this level of exercise/movement?
There is no question that the resistance to exercise can be very high, especially if you don’t enjoy it. McGonigal says it takes about six weeks for our brain to really reward us for movement.  So yes, you have to kind of grin and bear it for the first six weeks to get to the point where you can experience the sheer pleasure of it all… and by that time, hopefully it will be a habit.  This is exactly where doing an activity with another person or a group can play such an important role. 
 
Suggestions to help to create this habit

  • Visual triggers – put workout/running clothes/shoes on immediately upon wakening. Otherwise, have them visible

  • Find something you enjoy – that works for you – is it dancing, tennis, running, yoga, weights?

  • Find a partner or join a group – see “social impact” above

  • Turn on the music - for some people, myself included, music is all it takes. Create a playlist of your favourite music (mine’s called Music to Move to ;-) and start rocking!


Dance for PD (Parkinson's Disease) and the power of music
To show how powerful music is (as well as the power of a group), all one has to do is look at an international program called Dance for PD (Toronto's National Ballet School has a program based on Dance for PD called Sharing Dance Parkinson's). The premise is that music allows the brains motor system to become more activated and engaged, which allows people with Parkinson's Disease to physically do things that they could not do without the benefit of music. Dance in particular allows people to transcend the limits of Parkinson's to move in ways that are beautiful, while connecting with one another. Dance allows them to feel less defined by their disease. Here is a recent article from Zoomer Magazine on Dancing with Parkinson's, yet another group... you can see it's popularity.  
 
Summary
There is so much today that conspires to prevent us from moving. And yet perhaps just knowing the impact it can have on our mental well-being, our ability to feel joy, and our increased connections with others will be enough to nudge you, or someone you know, into action. The bonus?  All the other reasons to embrace exercise :)

Thanks for reading.
 
Gillian x
 
*Re: impact of exercise and the release of oxytocin - research in progress, but has been confirmed in animal studies