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. 2021 Jun 10:12:682480.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682480. eCollection 2021.

Did You Enjoy It? The Role of Intensity-Trait Preference/Tolerance in Basic Psychological Needs and Exercise Enjoyment

Diogo S Teixeira  1   2 , Filipe Rodrigues  3   4 , Sérgio Machado  5 , Luis Cid  3   6 , Diogo Monteiro  6   7
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Did You Enjoy It? The Role of Intensity-Trait Preference/Tolerance in Basic Psychological Needs and Exercise Enjoyment

Diogo S Teixeira et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Promoting exercise regimens that aim at enhancing the quality of individuals' subjective exercise experience can be challenging. Given the recent theoretical contributions regarding the possible interaction of exercise intensity-traits and several motivational variables, as well as their potential value for exercise adherence, the objective of this study was to examine the mediation role of basic psychological needs in the relationship between preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity and enjoyment. This cross-sectional study comprised a total of 160 exercisers (Mage = 34.12, SD = 9.23, 73 males) enrolled in several health clubs. All analyses were performed using SPSS v. 23.0/PROCESS v. 3.4. The results indicate that intensity-traits presented positive associations with enjoyment, and negative associations with all of needs frustration variables. A mediation role of needs frustration emerged in the intensity-traits and enjoyment associations that was analyzed according to relatable theoretical considerations.

Keywords: enjoyment; exercise; preference; psychological needs; tolerance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Direct and indirect effects analysis of basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration in the relationship between preference (A) and tolerance (B) on exercise enjoyment. Note. BPNS – Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction; BPNF – Basic Psychological Needs Frustration; Dashed lines – nonsignificant effect.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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