Reduction of aggressive behaviour through physical activity

Spatial constriction going along with social and ecological monotony while living under isolated and confined conditions in space can result in an increased aggressive behaviour and an increased testiness. Similar conditions are experienced by normal people in their jobs and workaday life. Based on this
premises this project is dedicated to the question whether exercise and physical activity could help to reduce aggressive behaviour and testiness.

Experiment

Two experiments assessed whether movements that are unlike aggressive actions lead to a greater decrease in aggressive feelings than movements that are similar to aggressive actions. Furthermore, the effect of different social exercise conditions on the course of aggression was tested. Two experiments were conducted in each of which participants underwent an induction of aggressive feelings before being randomly assigned to treatment groups differing in movement type (rowing and combat exercise, both studies) and social task condition (individual and competitive in study 1, plus cooperative for study 2). The greater decrease in aggressive feelings in the rowing condition compared to combat exercise found in study 1 was only partly replicable in study 2, whilst differing social conditions had no influence.