Running clears the mind – that’s what many people say who like to go for a run regularly. But in some cases, running has one shadow side: If it works to escape from everyday life and personal problems. This is the conclusion of a Norwegian research group in the journal »Frontiers in Psychology«.
This is amazing daily escape It occurs when someone habitually distracts themselves from reality and their problems in order to create positive feelings or avoid negative ones. This phenomenon, also known as escapism, has so far been mainly researched in connection with computer game addiction and other media addiction. The team led by Norwegian psychologist Frode Stenseng now wanted to find out the importance of managing and operating addiction.
To do this, he and his team used social media to survey adults who, according to their own statements, jogged regularly—an average of five hours a week. 115 women and 112 men, average age 43, answered questions about the two forms of running: gaining positive experiences (“When I run, I feel positive energy”) and avoiding negative emotions (“When I run, I try to forget my problems.”). To this, they provided information on their life satisfaction and exercise addiction characteristics (“I prefer running to spend time with my family and friends”).
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