What explains the well-being benefits of physical activity? A mixed-methods analysis of the roles of participation frequency and social identification

Yuhei Inoue; Daniel Lock; Mikihiro Sato; Kurumi Aizawa; Akane Mikura; Natsumi Kohno; Etsuko Ogasawara

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116454

What explains the well-being benefits of physical activity? A mixed-methods analysis of the roles of participation frequency and social identification

Soc Sci Med. 2024 Jan:340:116454. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116454. Epub 2023 Nov 28.

Authors

Yuhei Inoue¹, Daniel Lock², Mikihiro Sato³, Kurumi Aizawa⁴, Akane Mikura⁵, Natsumi Kohno⁶, Etsuko Ogasawara⁵

Affiliations

¹ Sport Policy Unit, Department of People and Performance, Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints Building, All Saints, Manchester, M15 6BH, United Kingdom; Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport, Manchester, United Kingdom. Electronic address: y.inoue@mmu.ac.uk.
² Department of Sport and Event Management, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB, United Kingdom.
³ Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1206 South Fourth Street Champaign, IL, 61820, USA.
⁴ Independent Researcher, USA.
⁵ Faculty of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, 1-1 Hiraka-gakuendai, Inzai-shi, Chiba, 270-1695, Japan; Japanese Center for Research on Women in Sport, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
⁶ Faculty of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, 1-1 Hiraka-gakuendai, Inzai-shi, Chiba, 270-1695, Japan.

PMID: 38052118
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116454

Abstract

Objective: Physical activity in a social setting is said to be associated with well-being because it provides opportunities for participants to form social relationships. However, there are inconsistent findings regarding the well-being benefits of participating in physical activity with others. To address this inconclusive evidence, we draw on the social identity approach to health and well-being to examine whether (a) the frequency of physical activity participation in a social setting and (b) the degree of social identification associated with it, have different relationships with participants' well-being.

Methods: We implemented a two-phase, mixed-methods design with members of women's only fitness clubs in Japan. In Study 1, we collected survey responses about social identification, life satisfaction, and eudaimonic well-being from 1118 members. The survey data were combined with respondents' objective participation data from a membership database. In Study 2, we interviewed a sample of club members to understand how the nature of social relationships differed depending on the degree of their social identification.

Results: Study 1 found that social identification with a fitness club, but not the frequency of attending the club for physical activity, was positively associated with members' well-being. Study 2 revealed that members with high social identification experienced more affective relationships with other members than those with medium or low identification.

Conclusions: Our research provides quantitative and qualitative evidence supporting the association between social identification and the well-being benefits of physical activity in a social setting. It confirms the predictions of the social identity approach to health and well-being, demonstrating that people enjoy well-being benefits from physical activity participation when it is internalized as a meaningful definition of self.

Keywords: Exercise; Fitness; Group identification; Mental health; Social identity approach; Sport.

MeSH terms

Exercise* / psychology
Female
Humans
Japan
Social Identification*
Surveys and Questionnaires