Making yourself red at the gym is one of the best ways to avoid feeling blue, according to new research which suggests exercise helps boost emotional resilience.

With the physical and emotional advantages of exercising well documented, study leads Emily E. Bernstein and Richard J. McNally wanted to explore the psychological impact of engaging in physical activity. Their study, published in Cognition and Emotion demonstrates the positive impact of acute aerobic exercise on individuals experiencing emotion regulation difficulties.

The researchers tested how a short period of moderate exercise changed the emotional effects of subsequent exposure to an upsetting film clip. They hypothesised that although the clip would evoke negative feelings in all participants, some would recover quicker than others, despite partaking in any form of exercise. They also suggested that if an individual who struggled to emotionally regulate engaged in physical activity, they should recover faster than their counterpart who had not exercised.

The study was conducted on 80 participants (40 men and 40 women) and each was assigned to either an aerobic exercise or no exercise (stretching). They were asked to complete an online survey to establish their emotional mood and then immediately instructed to either jog for 30 minutes, or stretch for 30 minutes. They were subsequently asked to watch a sad scene from the film The Champ. The participants then completed a range of questionnaires and measures to determine their emotion regulation. Finally, all participants were instructed to watch a brief clip from the comedy When Harry Met Sally.

As expected, participants who stated that there was nothing they could do to make themselves feel better reported having greater feelings of sadness during the study. One significant revelation was that participants who had completed 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise reported feeling less sadness by the end of the study, in comparison to individuals who had not exercised.

Bernstein and McNally concluded that "Participants who exercised were better able to overcome or compensate for initial difficulties drawing on regulatory strategies and with goal-directed cognition and behaviour" in comparison to non-exercisers.

A number of recent studies have highlighted the ability of exercise to boost emotional wellness, particularly among young people. As well as helping youths to overcome the psychological impacts of bullying, exercise has been shown to help children be more confident and achieve better results at school,