ArticleBMC public health2026
What moves you? The relation between exercise motivation and well-being using a person-centered approach.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Why Do Humans Exercise? A Neuro-Evolutionary Framework for Discretionary Physical Effort.Evolutionary anthropology · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe benefits of physical activity for health and well-being are well-documented. However, the quality of exercise motivation may be an important boundary condition. Building on the Self-Determination Theory, we explore how exercise motivation is associated with well-being outcomes.
methods335 adults completed an anonymous online questionnaire. Exercise motivation was assessed using the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3). Cluster analysis was performed to identify motivational profiles. Mean differences in basic psychological needs, physical activity levels, subjective well-being, subjective health, and BMI were investigated for the observed motivational profiles.
resultsFour motivational clusters were identified based on the degree of controlled and autonomous motivation. Those profiles with high autonomous motivation report higher physical activity levels, but those with coexisting controlled motivation experience less well-being benefits, as they report worse subjective health and more negative affect than those without coexisting controlled motivation.
conclusionBuilding on the Self-Determination Theory, this study demonstrates that the quality of exercise motivation matters, as controlled motivation is associated with lower well-being and seems to offset the beneficial associations of autonomous motivation. We argue that the quality of exercise motivation should be considered in the context of well-being, in order to guarantee beneficial outcomes.
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