ABSTRACT
Psychological aspects of physical activity have long intrigued eminent scholars in various fields. The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau claimed that “I can only meditatewhen I amwalking.When I stop, I cease to think;mymind onlyworkswithmy legs” (Rousseau, 1953/1781, p. 382). The American author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau celebrated the relationship between walking and thinking when he observed that “themomentmy legs begin tomove,my thoughts begin to flow” (cited inHealthcare News of Western Massachusetts, 2010). The nineteenth-century psychologist William James highlighted the emotional effects of physical activity when he wrote that “our muscular vigour will… always be needed to furnish the background of sanity, serenity, and cheerfulness to life… andmake us good-humoured” (W. James, 1899, pp. 205-207). Although these epigrams offer interesting insights into the relationship between physical activity andmental processes, we need to check howwell they accord with scientific research findings; that is why we turn to the growing field of exercise psychology.
