Relations of Moderate Physical Exercise to Scores on Hostility, Aggression, and Trait-Anxiety

Abstract

100 male subjects were selected from a midwestern university and categorized into 5 jogging groups, advanced, intermediate, beginning, drop-out joggers and nonexercisers, who were administered the Commitment to Running Scale, the Buss-Durkee inventory measuring hostility and aggression, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Analysis of covariance with age as a covariate was performed using a 5 × 2 design with the 5 levels of jogging and status of the jogger (student/nonstudent) as independent variables. Fisher's LSD was used for multiple comparisons. Joggers scored higher than drop-outs or nonexercisers on the Commitment to Running Scale. Nonexercisers had higher mean scores on trait anxiety than advanced, intermediate, and drop-out loggers, advanced joggers had a lower mean trait-anxiety score than any other group Nonexercisers had higher mean aggression and hostility scores than drop-out or advanced joggers; drop-out and advanced joggers did not differ significantly but their scores were significantly lower than those of other groups of loggers These findings confirm that jogging affects trait anxiety, hostility, and aggression positively, which supports use of exercise preventively.