Apr 20th, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Title
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motives for Exercise
Faculty Mentor
Information
Obesity in America is becoming a more prevalent issue within today’s society. The purpose of this study was to see what the connection was between people’s intrinsic and extrinsic motives to exercise. This study surveyed 74 Boise State University students on physical, social, and health related aspects of wellness. It was hypothesized that people would be more intrinsically motivated to exercise for reasons other than social and physical motives, such as health. In opposition to my hypothesis, the results indicated that there was no relationship between people that exercised for intrinsic motives and their body mass index (BMI), which was my way of measuring health. Further studies should take into consideration the workout frequency and duration to get a better overall assessment of wellness. Also further studies should look into the use of self-determination theory to better understand the relationship between exercise and psychological well-being (Maltby & Day, 2001). In the end, the study provided information about gender differences and body image.