Cycling not only keeps you physically fit, it is also good for our mental health – in many different areas, as studies show. We show why cycling can help against anxiety, stress and anger.
Cycling has many advantages. You are out in the fresh air, ideally in nature. In the city, you can often get to your destination quicker than by car and you don’t have to look for a parking space. You save money, protect the environment and keep yourself physically fit. But did you also know how good cycling can be for our psyche?
For example, cycling regularly can help you reduce stress, become more self-confident or have fewer fears. According to current scientific knowledge, cycling can be a great help in at least five mental problem areas. Even if you currently feel mentally healthy, cycling can help you stay that way, as the positive preventive effect has also been well researched.
1. Cycling can help reduce and prevent anxiety
We live in a time of multiple crises that scare many of us. The good news is that you can actively do something about this fear. According to science, endurance training such as cycling reduces the reactivity of the sympathetic nervous system and, to put it simply, makes us less sensitive to stressors such as anxiety and the like. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) plays a key role in these mechanisms. It regulates the release of stress hormones, which can lead to an increase in feelings of anxiety and panic. Those who cycle regularly can reduce this sensitivity, according to researchers.
In addition, moderate endurance training leads to an increased release of happiness hormones such as dopamine. This activation of the reward system in our brain also helps us feel more balanced and satisfied.
2. Cycling can help you boost your self-confidence
Can cycling make you more self-confident? At least that is what some studies suggest. For a study from 2014, for example, 27 people were recruited. Eleven participants did not change their daily routine, the other 16 did 10 endurance training sessions of at least 30 minutes each over a period of three weeks. They could either run, cycle indoors or train on the elliptical trainer.
The result: After three weeks, the more active test subjects consistently reported feeling more confident than the control group on the recognized self-esteem test, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Due to the small number of test subjects, the scientific significance of the experiment is limited. However, there are other studies that link physical activity with increased self-confidence. It is therefore obvious that a similar effect also occurs in cyclists.
Cycling outside could have an additional positive effect on self-confidence. Because with a bike you can quickly and easily discover new areas, achieve your own goals and gain new impressions – all experiences of success that can boost our self-confidence.
3. Cycling can reduce stress
A study by the University of Zurich, among others, showed that cycling can help to reduce stress and increase our well-being. The almost 9,000 people surveyed said that they felt less stressed when they cycled to their daily commutes. This is mainly because cycling helps us to reduce the stress hormone cortisol.
According to the researchers, the regular, cyclical pedaling movements when cycling also play a positive role in reducing stress. They increase the activity of our parasympathetic nervous system and thus have a calming effect on our minds. We stay more in the moment, in this case when cycling, worry less and brood less.
Of course, this stress reduction works better if you cycle in a relaxed environment – being out and about in the city during rush hour is less helpful, so it’s better to choose a nice route into the countryside.
4. Cycling can help relieve depression
Both the reduction in our cortisol levels and the consistent pedaling motion when cycling can not only reduce stress, but can also help people with depression. This is what a study from the University of Tübingen suggests. The researchers had older people with depression ride an ergometer for a good 30 minutes. Before and after the bike ride, blood values, which play a central role in the development of depression, were measured.
While these values of the depressed people were worse than those of healthy comparison subjects before the endurance exercise, they had normalized in almost all study participants after the 30-minute bike ride.
5. Cycling can help against anger
Anger is a destructive feeling – internally and externally – and is not good for our psyche. When we feel it, we need an outlet to let it out and thus reduce the pressure we feel. Cycling can help us with this. Through exercise, we reduce stress hormones and give our body the chance to actively do something.
Several studies suggest that endurance exercise, such as cycling, can reduce feelings of anger. For example, researchers who conducted a study with children found that those who did 40 minutes of endurance exercise per day felt and acted out less anger than control groups who did little or no exercise.
Cycling away from anger isn’t just a good idea for our psyche, it can also protect our hearts. As scientists at Columbia University in New York City discovered in a recently published study, even short fits of anger can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. So that’s another reason to get on your bike regularly.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- When an e-bike is worth it – and when it is not
- Germany’s most bicycle-friendly community: What we can learn from it
- Staying mentally fit in old age: “From the age of 30, you should pay attention to three things”
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