The Well-Being Effects of Self-Expressiveness and Hedonic Enjoyment Associated with Physical Exercise

This study develops and tests a model that explains how satisfaction of self-expressiveness and hedonic needs associated with physical exercise affect a variety of well-being outcomes (i.e., healthy eating, BMI, satisfaction with health, and subjective well-being). We conducted a survey of college students at universities in three countries: the U.S.A., France, and South Korea. The results indicate that self-expressiveness associated with physical exercise (exercise practiced routinely and with high frequency) is much more predictive of healthy eating than hedonic enjoyment. Healthy eating was also shown to be associated with other personal positive outcomes such as low body mass index, increased satisfaction with personal health, and increased subjective well-being. Managerial and policy implications are discussed.