Does exercise really make happy? A systematic review

The search for happiness is a very relevant topic in social life. This is one of the reasons why research is interested in developing methods and trainings on how to be happier. The aim of the present systematic review was to investigate the influence of sportive interventions on a more stable concept of happiness. The extensive literature research identified 1,099 records, eight of which were finally included according to the following criteria: happiness as dependent variable, physical activity as independent variable, and the existence of a control group. The studies were highly heterogeneous concerning the health, the age, and the gender distribution of the participants. The control group was always a waiting control group. Overall, physical interventions yielded improvements in happiness in six of the eight studies. Further studies should be performed to investigate this effect in more detail.