I have OCD and working out ALWAYS makes me feel better whenever I have spikes. How does that work?
In: 896
Physical activity produces serotonin and dopamine, the feel happy chemicals.
The reason is not super well understood, but the prevailing theory is that it’s evolutionary. Being active is good for you, being physically fit makes you more likely to survive physically stressful situations. So those who are more physically fit were more likely to pass on their genes. Some mutation somewhere along the line made someone feel good when they were doing stuff to get physically fit. And that was so advantageous that it’s in just about every single human on earth.
Simple world you producing substances that reward your actions so you repeat them to survive and being fit counts as a survival skill.
Side note. Eating and sex does stimulate your body like that as well
Excercise helps regulate your hormone levels
If you’re anxious, it can bring you back down
If you’re already down, it can help pump you back up
In general, being physically healthy also just feels good. I like being able to move my legs around without my joints dying.
Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don’t shoot their husbands
It releases dolphins and everyone knows that trapping dolphins is really bad, so it makes you happy.
This is a bit vague and not going to give you good detailed science info but it IS ELI5 so: We evolved under conditions where a big way to handle stress and fear was to act – run away from or fight off the threat, chase down some prey or go look for new food sources. If you were sedentary for long it was because you *couldn’t* do those things – maybe there was a storm or a predator right outside and it was too dangerous to go out of the cave, or maybe you were injured or ill, and then it made sense for your body to go into a more depressed state to save energy and help you stay inside where it was safe. So getting up and moving around is like a signal that your stressors are now dealt with (you fought off the predator) or it’s now safe outside and you can get back to your “normal” active state.
I had a health teacher in school once explain that if exercise was a pill it would be the most prescribed pill in the world by a long-shot, particularly given all the mental health benefits
many a tool tend to last longer with consistent use and maintenance. when left to ponder their existence they rust, dull, and fail faster when needed.
It’s never been my experience, to be honest. It makes me tired and smelly. And mentally exhausted from constantly being alert for traffic and diving into the bushes.
doing something productive is something people like. it really isn’t much more complex than that. since it’s eli5, there’s no need to delve into things like brain chemistry. but people like work. it’s the truth. it increases as you get older. it’s also why many people are very happy when they finished gardening or cleaning. working out is also like that. an accomplishment. you do something good for your body, you work, so your brain rewards you.
Latest Answers