The science of happıness

WHY DOES A GOOD WORKOUT MAKE YOU FEEL SO MUCH HAPPIER? TURNS OUT, IT HAS AS MUCH TO DO WITH YOUR HEAD AS WITH YOUR BODY.

- JOE WUEBBEN

Molly Kujawski has a family history of mental illness. In college she became depressed and took medication to fight the blues. At the same time, in an effort to counteract her genetics, she started working out regularly and eating better — and everything changed. “Once I got consistent with exercising and eating well, I didn’t need medication anymore,” she says.

In a word, she was happier.

Now 40 years old, the certified personal trainer and owner of ExcelFit With Molly in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is seeing the same transformation in her clients: Though vastly different in background and ages, they all struggled mentally and emotionally until they adopted a nutrition and exercise “prescription.” “I’ve been training people since 2005 and have seen a direct correlation between consistent exercise and a boost in happiness,” Kujawski says. “I have clients who can attest to not needing medication or therapy now because of exercise. There’s a huge link there. It’s undeniable.”

Anecdotal evidence doesn’t always parallel science, but in this case it does, and more than 20 years of research has identified a connection between exercise and happiness. For example, a 2019 review of more than 20 papers published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found “a consistent positive relationship between physical activity and happiness … with as little as 10 [minutes of] physical activity per week.”