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. 2025 Nov 18;15(1):40587.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-24273-4.

Transforming physical exertion into emotional agility via sequential empowerment of resilience and self-belief

Yao Zhang  1 , Fan-Zheng Mu  1 , Shan-Shan Han  1 , Hu Lou  1 , Bo Li  2 , Rui Li  3
Affiliations

Transforming physical exertion into emotional agility via sequential empowerment of resilience and self-belief

Yao Zhang et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study examines the effects of physical exercise on emotion regulation ability in college students, with a focus on the sequential mediating roles of psychological resilience and self-efficacy. Using cross-sectional data from the 2024 Chinese College Students Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Survey (CPAHLS-CS), we collected responses via structured online questionnaires to test hypothesized pathways. Research tools included the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Healthy Kids Resilience Assessment (HKRA). A total of 10,923 valid questionnaires were included, with an effective response rate of 81.3%. The proportions of low, medium, and high levels of physical exercise among college students were 71.0%, 16.9%, and 12.2%, respectively. Data analysis showed that exercise intensity was negatively correlated with psychological resilience (r = - 0.022, P < 0.001), positively correlated with self-efficacy (r = 0.130, P < 0.001), and positively correlated with emotion regulation ability (r = 0.126, P < 0.001). Mediation effect testing indicated that psychological resilience and self-efficacy mediate between physical exercise and emotion regulation ability. The total effect was 0.234, the direct effect was 0.165, and the indirect effect was 0.069. This cross-sectional study suggests that physical exercise is associated with, but does not causally determine, greater emotion-regulation ability.

Keywords: Behavioural intervention; College students; Emotional intelligence; Mental health; Resilience.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics statement: The study protocol for this study received approval from the ethics committee at Nantong University and was documented under approval number 2022(70), confirming that all experiments were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Before commencing the formal investigations and testing, the researchers obtained informed consent from all the participants involved in the study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chain mediation effect analysis of emotion regulation ability.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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