Embodying joy: the experience of embodiment as a mediator of exercise enjoyment and mental health in college students.

Background: Regular physical activity is essential for a healthy lifestyle. This study investigated how exercise enjoyment affects mental health, focusing on positive embodiment - a holistic, respectful attunement with one's body. We hypothesized that individuals who find pleasure in physical activity are more likely to experience positive embodiment, thereby fostering a deeper, more harmonious connection with their bodies, which in turn enhances mental well-being. This study aimed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the interrelated effects of these factors on mental health.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 207 participants were screened, with 95 who exercised regularly advancing to complete questionnaires assessing level of enjoyment during exercise (LEM), exercise duration per week (ED), years of regular exercise (YRE), positive embodiment using the Experience of Embodiment Scale (EES), mental health using the Adult Mental Health Scale (AMHS), and eating attitudes using the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26). Pearson's correlations and mediation analysis were used to explore the relationships among these measures.

Results: Our findings showed that LEM was significantly positively correlated with EES, AMHS, and YRE scores, and negatively correlated with EAT-26, but not with ED. YRE and ED were not correlated with AMHS, suggesting that merely increasing exercise duration or maintaining a long-term routine alone may not be sufficient to enhance mental well-being. Mediation analysis showed that the experience of embodiment fully mediates the relationship between exercise enjoyment and mental health, accounting for 71.76% of the total effect.

Conclusions: Enjoyment of exercise plays a crucial role in supporting mental health, with positive embodiment acting as a key mediating factor. Promoting positive embodiment can amplify the mental health benefits of physical activity, underscoring the importance of fostering a sense of unity with one's body through enjoyable exercise activities among college students.