Measured emotion in men and women during exercise of different intensities

The Borg Scale of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) is widely used to determine subjective exercise difficulty. However, RPE does not indicate emotional state of exercising humans. Consequently, the Self-Assessment Mannikin (SAM) of emotional states was used in conjunction with the Borg Scale to determine valence, arousal and dominance feelings during exercise of 3 different intensities in men and women. PURPOSE: To determine human emotional responses to exercise at various intensities. METHODS: Participants (n=28; female =18, male = 10) reported SAM and RPE prior to and at 17.5 minutes during steady state cycle ergometer exercise designed to elicit 40% (LOW), 60% (MOD), or 80% (HIGH) of maximal oxygen consumption. Data were analyzed using a 2 factor (3: intensity x 2: sex) repeated measures ANOVA and presented as mean (SD). RESULTS: RPE was significantly greater at each exercise intensity (9.2 (1.9), 11.3 (2.0) vs 13.9 (1.8) for the LOW, MOD and HIGH intensities, respectively; pConclusion: At the highest intensity, participants reported significantly different emotional states as measured by SAM. These observations have implications for exercise prescription, adherence and mood.