Acute running improves mood via changes in interoceptive sensibility
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Purpose
Interoception is the sensing and interpretation of internal bodily signals and may be a key process linking exercise-induced bodily changes to mood. This study examined whether acute moderate-intensity treadmill running changes interoception and mood states and whether running-related changes in interoception statistically account for mood improvement.
Methods
Twenty-seven healthy young adults completed a within-subject crossover experiment consisting of 15 min of moderate-intensity treadmill running at 50% estimated V̇O ₂peak and seated rest on separate days. Before and after each condition, cardiac interoceptive accuracy was assessed using heartbeat counting and heartbeat tapping tasks, present-moment interoceptive sensibility using a state-adapted Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ), and mood using the Profile of Mood States. Running-related changes were calculated as ΔRUN − ΔCTL.
Results
Compared with seated rest, running reduced total mood disturbance (TMD) and tension–anxiety (TA) and increased vigor–activity (VA). Running did not significantly change task-based indices of cardiac interoceptive accuracy but increased BPQ scores. Greater running-related increases in BPQ scores were associated with greater reductions in TMD ( r = −.61, p < .001), TA ( r = −.45, p = .018), and depression–dejection ( r = −.49, p = .009). Greater increases in heartbeat tapping task d′ were associated with greater increases in VA ( r = .56, p = .003). Mediation analysis indicated that BPQ changes were statistically consistent with an indirect pathway linking running to reduced TMD, with weaker exploratory evidence for TA.
Conclusions
A single bout of moderate-intensity running improved mood and increased present-moment interoceptive sensibility, but not task-based cardiac interoceptive accuracy. Enhanced subjective awareness of bodily sensations may be one proximal process related to the mood benefits of acute running.
