Can XunTian Tai Chi intervention improve the level of emotional regulation of crew members in the Controlled Ecological Life Support System?

Abstract

To explore the appropriate exercise methods and means for astronauts in confined and small isolation conditions, a set of XunTian Tai Chi suitable for the spaceflight workforce was created, with the aim of discovering the practical effects of XunTian Tai Chi and providing a scientific basis for the subsequent development of new astronaut health maintenance techniques with Chinese characteristics. Using the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) as a research platform, we observed the changes in a crew member’s emotion regulation-related indexes during 180 days of working and living in a confined isolation chamber through periodic interventions of the XunTian Tai Chi and conducted statistical analyses. During the 180-day cabin mission, expression suppression, cognitive reappraisal, attention index, and relaxation index were all lower than those before entering the cabin, suggesting that the crew member’s emotion regulation ability decreased during the in-cabin mission. A single Tai Chi exercise could cause favorable changes in the indicators, positively affecting the crew member's emotional regulation. The attention and relaxation indices of the occupants were improved significantly by both single and periodic Tai Chi exercises. After the Tai Chi exercise cycle, the results of each index showed a certain degree of effect. The 180-day ground-based simulation of Tai Chi in the confinement of a space capsule positively affects the occupant’s emotional regulation.