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Exercising with Others Exacerbates the Negative Effects of Mirrored Environments on Sedentary Women’s Feeling States
Psychology and Health (2007)
  • Kathleen A. Martin Ginis, McMaster University
  • Shauna Burke, University of Western Ontario
  • Lise M. Gauvin, University of Montreal
Abstract

The unique and interactive effects of mirrored exercise environments and the presence of co-exercisers on sedentary women's exercise-induced feeling states (FS) were examined. Participants (n = 92; mean age = 20.2) performed 20 min of moderate intensity exercise in one of four environments: (a) alone/mirrored, (b) not alone/mirrored, (c) alone/unmirrored, or (d) not alone/unmirrored. FS were measured pre-, mid-, and 5 min post-exercise. Self-consciousness, perceived social evaluation and social comparisons were also assessed post-exercise. Multilevel modeling procedures indicated that women in the not alone/mirrored environment experienced smaller increases in post-exercise revitalization than the other conditions (p < 0.05), and were the only condition to experience increased physical exhaustion (p < 0.05). Women in the not alone/mirrored condition also reported greater self-consciousness and more social comparisons than those in alone/mirrored condition (ps < 0.01). Findings are consistent with Objective Self-Awareness Theory, and suggest that mirrored, group exercise environments are not conducive to psychological well-being among women unaccustomed to exercise.

Keywords
  • Physical activity,
  • affect,
  • objective self-awareness,
  • environment,
  • mirrors
Publication Date
2007
Citation Information
Kathleen A. Martin Ginis, Shauna Burke and Lise M. Gauvin. "Exercising with Others Exacerbates the Negative Effects of Mirrored Environments on Sedentary Women’s Feeling States" Psychology and Health Vol. 22 (2007)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/dr_shauna_burke/13/