Exercise and Anxiety: Meta-Analyses, Safety, and Treatment Strategies in Psychology

World Health Survey (Stubbs et al., 2017)

Global population PA levels. People with low physical activity levels have a 32% increased risk of having anxiety. (p. 3)

Allen et al. (2019)

Sedentary behavior meta-analysis. High sedentary behavior is associated with a 48% higher likelihood of having anxiety. (p. 3)

Schuch et al. (2019)

Prospective cohort meta-analysis. High self-reported PA levels are associated with 26% lower odds of developing incident anxiety. (p. 3)

Kandola et al. (2020)

Objective physical capacity. Low cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength are associated with a 60% higher risk of anxiety. (p. 3)

Acute Symptom Management

Pitts and McClure (1967)

Historical "Panic" theory. Theorized (later refuted) that exercise-induced lactate could trigger panic attacks in susceptible people. (p. 3)

O'Connor et al. (2000)

Safety of exercise in panic disorder. Found only 1.13% of exercise bouts induced panic attacks, proving exercise is generally safe for this group. (p. 3)

Meyer et al. (2016a)

Intensity and acute mood. A single 20-minute bout of cycling improved mood regardless of intensity (light, moderate, or hard). (pp. 6-7)

Exercise Training (Long-Term Treatment)

Stubbs et al. (2017)

Meta-analysis of RCTs. Found exercise has a moderate effect (SMD = -0.58) on reducing anxiety compared to control groups. (p. 4)

Broocks et al. (1998)

Aerobic exercise vs. Clomipramine. Found a very large effect of aerobic exercise on anxiety symptoms in patients with panic disorder. (pp. 4-5)

Herring et al. (2012)

Aerobic vs. Resistance training. Both aerobic and resistance exercise (2x per week for 6 weeks) significantly reduced worry symptoms in GAD patients. (pp. 4, 6)

Gordon et al. (2017)

Resistance training meta-analysis. Confirmed that non-aerobic forms of exercise (resistance training) also significantly reduce anxiety symptoms. (pp. 7, 11)

Hovland et al. (2013)

Exercise vs. CBT. Found that Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GCBT) was more effective for anxiety reduction than exercise. (pp. 4, 11)