Emotional States' Influence on Pre-Exercise Feeding Tolerance

Overseen By Patrick Wilson, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Old Dominion University

Disqualifiers: CVD, Metabolic disorders, Inactivity, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

90 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how different emotional states affect tolerance to eating before exercise. Participants will watch video clips designed to evoke amusement, fear, or excitement, then eat and run on a treadmill to observe their body's response. The trial aims to help athletes manage pre-exercise nutrition to avoid gut issues. Ideal participants are physically active, can run for 30 minutes without stopping, and do not have heart or metabolic problems. As an unphased study, this trial offers a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could enhance athletic performance and nutrition management.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that these video clips are safe for participants?

Research shows that watching funny, scary, or exciting video clips can alter emotions and motivation. These feelings can influence the exercise experience. For instance, funny videos can reduce stress and improve mood, even if temporarily.

Regarding safety, studies have not reported any serious negative effects from these video clips. The emotional content might cause mild discomfort, such as feeling scared or surprised, especially with horror videos. However, these feelings typically fade quickly and are not harmful.

Overall, participants generally find these video clips to be a safe way to explore how emotions can affect their exercise routines. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores how different emotional states might affect how our bodies handle food before exercise. While most studies focus on dietary changes or supplements to improve exercise performance, this trial is unique as it investigates the psychological aspect. By using amusing, scary, and suspenseful video clips, researchers aim to understand if and how our emotions can impact pre-exercise digestion and readiness. This could lead to personalized strategies for optimizing athletic performance, making it a novel approach compared to traditional nutritional or physical training methods.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for pre-exercise feeding tolerance?

Research has shown that watching funny or amusing video clips can temporarily reduce stress and improve well-being. In this trial, participants will watch such clips to determine if they enhance exercise enjoyment and affect how the body processes food before working out. Another group will watch horror films, which have been linked to a boost in metabolism, potentially influencing food processing before exercise. A third group will watch thrilling or suspenseful clips, which can lift mood and reduce tiredness during workouts. These effects suggest that different types of videos might influence food processing before exercise, potentially easing digestion or making exercise more enjoyable. ^{1 3 6 7 8}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for active individuals aged 18 to 55 who can run for at least 30 minutes and have no allergies to Boost drink ingredients. They must not have cardiovascular or metabolic disorders, nor visual/hearing impairments that would affect their ability to watch and listen to video clips.

Inclusion Criteria

I have no heart disease or metabolic disorders.

I can see and hear well enough to watch video clips.

You exercise regularly, doing activities that make you breathe harder for at least 3 days a week.

Exclusion Criteria

You are not currently active and do not exercise for at least 3 days a week at a moderate or higher intensity.

You have allergies to any of the ingredients in Boost drink.

I have been diagnosed with or show signs of cardiovascular disease or a metabolic disorder.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Mood Induction

Participants watch 5-7 minute video clips to induce different mood states and emotions

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Feeding and Exercise

Participants ingest food and perform a 30-minute treadmill jogging/running test while physiological and metabolic responses are measured

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after the exercise

1-2 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Funny/Amusing Video Clips
• Horror/Scary Video Clips
• Thrilling/Suspenseful Video Clips

Trial Overview The study examines how different emotions, induced by watching funny, scary, or thrilling video clips before eating, affect the body's response during treadmill running. It will measure changes in metabolism and physical reactions.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Thrilling/Suspenseful Video Clips Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will watch 5-7-min video clips that are meant to be thrilling/suspenseful

Group II: Horror/Scary Video Clips Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will watch 5-7-min video clips that are meant to be scary

Group III: Funny/Amusing Video Clips Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will watch 5-7-min video clips that are meant to be funny/amusing

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Old Dominion University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

25

Recruited

15,500+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a study involving 122 women with obesity, those in the emerging adult group (ages 18-25) showed a greater reduction in sweets intake compared to middle-aged women (ages 45-65) after participating in a cognitive-behavioral treatment that emphasized exercise and self-regulation skills.

Self-regulatory skills significantly mediated the relationship between emotional eating and sweets intake, indicating that improving these skills, along with reducing anxiety through exercise, can help manage unhealthy eating behaviors linked to emotional eating.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mitigation of the effects of emotional eating on sweets consumption by treatment-associated self-regulatory skills usage in emerging adult and middle-age women with obesity. Annesi, JJ., Johnson, PH.[2021]

In a study involving 25 recreationally active individuals, consuming a small meal before exercise did not significantly affect their enjoyment, perceived intensity, or emotional responses during a 30-minute treadmill session.

Despite higher blood glucose levels before exercise in the fed state, the overnight fasting condition resulted in higher post-exercise blood lactate levels, indicating that fasting does not negatively impact the enjoyment or emotional experience of exercise.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of Fed State on Self-selected Intensity and Affective Responses to Exercise Following Public Health Recommendations. Rhodewalt, R., Saur, B., Largent, K., et al.[2023]

A study involving 20 university students showed that different types of media, whether preferred or imposed, significantly affect emotional responses during treadmill walking, with preferred music and videos enhancing feelings of happiness and excitement.

The results indicate that engaging media can improve the enjoyment of exercise, suggesting that incorporating preferred entertainment during workouts may enhance overall exercise experiences.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Experimental investigation of exercise-related hedonic responses to preferred and imposed media content. Frith, E., Loprinzi, PD.[2020]

People have different emotional responses to physical activity, with some finding it pleasurable and others experiencing discomfort.

By understanding and modifying these emotional responses during exercise, it may be possible to create effective strategies to encourage more people to engage in physical activity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Affective Response During Real-World Physical Activity as an Intervention Mediator. Dunton, GF., Crosley-Lyons, R., Rhodes, RE.[2023]

The study involving 25 professors showed that presenting a lecture, which increased their affective arousal, led to significantly higher levels of physical activity, including more standing, stepping, and posture transitions compared to a non-lecture day.

Results indicated that the immediate aftermath of a stressful situation, like lecturing, can trigger increased restless movement, suggesting that emotional responses to stress may play a key role in influencing daily physical activity levels.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Physical Activity Increases after an Affectively Arousing Daily Life Event. Pollak, MH., Hart, JR.[2020]

Personalized audiovisual stimuli during exercise significantly improved psychological responses, such as reducing feelings of fatigue and enhancing positive emotions, in a study involving 24 adults with obesity.

Participants using sensory stimulation reported greater dissociative thoughts, which helped them focus less on exertion, suggesting that tailored audiovisual content can be beneficial during initial exercise sessions for individuals with obesity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of audiovisual stimuli on psychological and psychophysiological responses during exercise in adults with obesity. Bigliassi, M., Greca, JPA., Barreto-Silva, V., et al.[2019]

Green exercise, which includes nature sounds and visuals, significantly improves mood and reduces stress more effectively than exercise alone or resting, based on a study with 50 participants.

The benefits of green exercise were immediate after the intervention, but no lasting changes in mood or stress were observed 10 minutes later, indicating that while effective, the effects may be short-lived.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Can Simulated Green Exercise Improve Recovery From Acute Mental Stress? Wooller, JJ., Rogerson, M., Barton, J., et al.[2020]

Films and music successfully induced specific emotional states, such as anger and fear, which were tested for their effects on athletic performance.

In slower runners, inducing anger improved 2-mile running speed compared to a neutral emotional state, suggesting that approach-related emotions can enhance exercise performance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

When Anger Motivates: Approach States Selectively Influence Running Performance. Giles, GE., Horner, CA., Anderson, E., et al.[2023]

A study with 84 undergraduate students found that exercise alone significantly improves mood, but adding an enjoyable distraction, like a favorite TV show, further enhances this positive effect.

The results suggest that the enjoyment of distractions during exercise is crucial for maximizing mood benefits, indicating that future research should consider the type of distraction used when studying mood changes after exercise.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

An enjoyable distraction during exercise augments the positive effects of exercise on mood. Privitera, GJ., Antonelli, DE., Szal, AL.[2021]

Verbal encouragement during small-sided games significantly increased heart rate, perceived exertion, blood lactate levels, and physical enjoyment among 16 male school students, indicating enhanced physiological and psychological responses.

While both sessions with and without verbal encouragement improved mood states, the sessions with encouragement led to greater increases in vigor and overall enjoyment, suggesting that teachers can effectively use verbal motivation to boost student engagement and performance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of the Verbal Encouragement on Psychophysiological and Affective Responses during Small-Sided Games. Sahli, H., Selmi, O., Zghibi, M., et al.[2021]

Citations

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Emotional States' Influence on Pre-Exercise Feeding Tolerance Research involving emotional video clips, such as funny or scary videos, shows they can influence exercise experiences by affecting mood and motivation. However ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6125057/

The Laughter Prescription: A Tool for Lifestyle Medicine A study of 10 healthy subjects showed that cardiac parasympathetic activity decreased immediately on watching a comedy video, and just as quickly returned to ...

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The Effect of Humor on Short-term Memory in Older Adults The research team proposed that older adults who watch a humorous video might exhibit improvement in their short-term memory—learning ability, delayed recall,.

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Humor Therapy: Relieving Chronic Pain and Enhancing ... The present study examined the effectiveness of a humor therapy program in relieving chronic pain, enhancing happiness and life satisfaction, and reducing ...

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(PDF) Short-, medium-, and long-term impact of watching ... Watching humorous videos was associated with an instant effect in stress reduction and well-being improvement, which slowly faded in the medium-term.

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Medical Humor: Hilarious Moments in Healthcare Discover funny medical moments that every healthcare worker can relate to in this entertaining video. Laugh along with us!

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6 Hilarious Workplace Safety Videos Every EHS Professional ... We've compiled several hilarious, delightfully obnoxious, and strange workplace safety videos that will make you laugh, cry, and roll your eyes.