The Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Divergent and Convergent Thinking and Its Influence by Mood.

ABSTRACT: Abundant evidence shows that various forms of physical exercise, even conducted briefly, may improve cognitive functions. However, the effect of physical exercise on creative thinking remains under-investigated, and the role of mood in this effect remains unclear. In the present study, we set out to investigate the effect of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on divergent and convergent thinking and whether this effect depends on the post-exercise mood. Forty healthy young adults were randomly assigned to receive a 15-min exercise or control intervention, before and after which they conducted an alternate use test measuring divergent thinking and an insight problem-solving task measuring convergent thinking. It was found that exercise enhanced divergent thinking in that it increased flexibi

SUBMITTER: Aga K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8145661 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature