Effects of Exercise on Levels of Depression

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise on depression levels. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was applied to a total of 605 subjects at different exercise levels. The BDI score of non-exercising group was 13.18, while the average score of those who exercise was found to be 8.93. Non-exercising group showed higher depressive symptoms than the exercising group. Gender had no significant difference on the levels of depression (p>.05). Non-exercising group was found to be more depressive than the exercising group (p<.01). It was observed that exercising resulted in a low level of depression and the level of depression was reduced as the exercise time was increased. It can be said that exercise had a positive effect on reducing depression. People should be motivated and encouraged for having the habit of regular exercise to improve the quality of life.