Search

Organisations are aware of the need to maintain the mental health of their employees. People’s capacity to recognise and manage their moods and emotions is critical to sustainable mental health, performance, and quality of life, while failure to do so can result in underperformance, disengagement, and in some cases, mental illness. Employees of organisations that provide an appropriate strategy and support are likely to experience sustained psychological and mental health benefits. In this paper, we synthesise previous research into a theoretical framework distinguishing mood from emotion via both top-down (cognitive) and bottom-up (biological) factors. We propose a 4R model to help individuals Recognise a mood as distinct from an emotion, or vice-versa, and respond in one of three ways; Restore, Resolve, or Regulate. The model posits mood as an interoceptive signal of internal biological homeostasis, and emotion as a signal of external, often social, events that disrupt homeostasis; mood and emotion serve as internal and external bio-affective feedback loops, respectively. We propose that mood is modified positively by the restoration of homeostasis, whereas emotion is modified positively by behavioural resolution of the emotion-eliciting event. The 4R model is low-cost, preventative, and can be applied peer-to-peer in organisations without expert supervision.

OBJECTIVE: The understanding of placebo and nocebo effects in psychological responses to exercise is improved by measuring expectations. Despite availability of several validated expectancy measures, we argue for using scales that take both positive and negative expectations for exercise-induced changes into account. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A questionnaire was used to collect information on positive and negative expectations pertaining to how exercise would affect 14 different outcomes related to psychological health (n = 966). RESULTS: Outcomes for which a majority of the sample (>50%) reported positive expectations for exercise-induced changes included: psychological well-being (75.3%), depression (74.3%), relaxation (74.2%), sleep quality (73.3%), stress (72.2%), anxiety (69.8%), energy (67.1%), and attention (60.2%). Outcomes for which a majority of the sample (>50%) reported a negative expectation for exercise-induced changes were muscle pain (66.3%), fatigue (57.3%), and joint pain (50.7%). Across all 14 outcomes, the percentage of participants with negative expectations for exercise-induced changes ranged from 5.9 to 66.3%. CONCLUSION: Elucidating the potential presence of placebo and nocebo effects can improve the understanding of variability in the direction and magnitude of exercise-related effects on psychological health. Although there were only 3 outcomes for which the majority of participants reported negative expectations, we found that negative expectations were present to some degree for all 14 outcomes. Thus, for researchers who wish to characterize the potential presence of placebo and nocebo effects in studies of psychological responses to exercise, we recommend using measures that give equal consideration to positive and negative expectations.

Background: A large-scale online study completed by this research team found that brief psychological interventions were associated with high-intensity pleasant emotions and predicted performance. The present study extends this work using data from participants (n = 3376) who completed all self-report data and engaged in a performance task but who did not engage with an intervention or control condition and therefore present as an opportunistic no-treatment group. Methods: 41,720 participants were selected from the process and outcome focus goals intervention groups, which were the successful interventions (n = 30,096), active-control (n = 3039), and no-treatment (n = 8585). Participants completed a competitive task four times: first as practice, second to establish a baseline, third following an opportunity to complete a brief psychological skills intervention, and lastly following an opportunity to repeat the intervention. Repeated measures MANOVA indicated that over four performance rounds, the intensity of positive emotions increased, performance improved, and the amount of effort participants exerted increased, however, these increases were significantly smaller in the no-treatment group. Conclusions: Findings suggest that not engaging in active training conditions had negative effects. We suggest that these findings have implications for the development and deployment of online interventions.

Despite the apparent strength of scientific evidence suggesting that psychological benefits result from both acute and chronic exercise, concerns remain regarding the extent to which these benefits are explained by placebo effects. Addressing these concerns is methodologically and at times conceptually challenging. However, developments in the conceptualisation and study of placebo effects from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and human performance offer guidance for advancing the understanding of placebo effects in psychological responses to exercise. In clinical trials, expectations can be measured and experimentally manipulated to better understand the influence of placebo effects on treatment responses. Further, compelling evidence has shown that the contribution of placebo effects and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms to treatment effects can be measured without administering a traditional placebo (e.g. inert substance) by leveraging psychological factors such as expectations and conditioning. Hence, the purpose of this focused review is to integrate lessons such as these with the current body of literature on placebo effects in psychological responses to exercise and provide recommendations for future research directions.

ObjectivesCardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is independently associated with health and academic attainment in childhood and adolescence. Yet overweight/obesity remains the focus in public health policy. Surveillance of body mass index (BMI) and CRF considering school deprivation levels is limited. Therefore, we examined this in English primary schools.MethodsParticipants (n=409) were students (9–10 years) from 13 schools. BMI and CRF (20 m shuttle run) were measured at three time points across the academic year and a fourth after summer recess.ResultsBMI z-scores significantly decreased (p=0.015) from autumn (z=0.336 (95% CI 0.212 to 0.460)) to spring (z=0.252 (95% CI 0.132 to 0.371)), and then significantly increased (p=0.010) to summer (z=0.327 (95% CI 0.207 to 0.447)). CRF significantly increased (pConclusionSignificant reductions in children’s CRF occurred over the summer recess and were greater among children from schools in the most deprived areas. This may help inform future research into interventions targeting physical activity of schoolchildren, particularly over the summer recess.

Introduction: Clinical and laboratory studies demonstrate that placebo and nocebo effects influence various symptoms and conditions after the administration of both inert and active treatments. Objective: There is an increasing need for up-to-date recommendations on how to inform patients about placebo and nocebo effects in clinical practice and train clinicians how to disclose this information. Methods: Based on previous clinical recommendations concerning placebo and nocebo effects, a 3-step, invitation-only Delphi study was conducted among an interdisciplinary group of internationally recognized experts. The study consisted of open- and closed-ended survey questions followed by a final expert meeting. The surveys were subdivided into 3 parts: (1) informing patients about placebo effects, (2) informing patients about nocebo effects, and (3) training clinicians how to communicate this information to the patients. Results: There was consensus that communicating general information about placebo and nocebo effects to patients (e.g., explaining their role in treatment) could be beneficial, but that such information needs to be adjusted to match the specific clinical context (e.g., condition and treatment). Experts also agreed that training clinicians to communicate about placebo and nocebo effects should be a regular and integrated part of medical education that makes use of multiple formats, including face-to-face and online modalities. Conclusions: The current 3-step Delphi study provides consensus-based recommendations and practical considerations for disclosures about placebo and nocebo effects in clinical practice. Future research is needed on how to optimally tailor information to specific clinical conditions and patients’ needs, and on developing standardized disclosure training modules for clinicians.

Purpose: To investigate the placebo effect of caffeine on pacing strategy and performance over 1000-m running time trials using a balanced placebo design. Methods: Eleven well-trained male middle-distance athletes performed seven 1000-m time trials (1 familiarization, 2 baseline, and 4 experimental). Experimental trials consisted of the administration of 4 randomized treatments: informed caffeine/received caffeine, informed caffeine/received placebo, informed placebo/received caffeine, and informed placebo/received placebo. Split times were recorded at 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 m, and peak heart rate and rating of perceived exertion were recorded at the completion of the trial. Results: Relative to baseline, participants ran faster during informed caffeine/received caffeine (d = 0.42) and informed caffeine/received placebo (d = 0.43). These changes were associated with an increased pace during the first half of the trial. No differences were shown in pacing or performance between baseline and the informed placebo/received caffeine (d = 0.21) and informed placebo/received placebo (d = 0.10). No differences were reported between treatments for peak heart rate (η2 = .084) and rating of perceived exertion (η2 = .009). Conclusions: The results indicate that the effect of believing to have ingested caffeine improved performance to the same magnitude as actually receiving caffeine. These improvements were associated with an increase in pace during the first half of the time trial.

The aim of this review was to determine the magnitude of the placebo and nocebo effect on sport performance. Articles published before March 2019 were located using Medline, Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO, Science Direct, and Scopus. Studies that examined placebo and nocebo effects of an objective dependent variable on sports performance, which included a control or baseline condition, were included in the analysis. Studies were classified into two categories of ergogenic aids: (1) nutritional and (2) mechanical. Cohen’s d effect sizes were calculated from 32 studies involving 1513 participants. Small to moderate placebo effects were found for both placebo (d = 0.36) and nocebo (d = 0.37) effects and when separated by nutritional (d = 0.35) and mechanical (d = 0.47) ergogenic aids. The pooled effect size revealed a small to moderate effect size across all studies (d = 0.38). Results suggest that placebo and nocebo effects can exert a small to moderate effect on sports performance.

The placebo effect is traditionally viewed as a positive outcome resulting from a person's belief that an inert substance is in fact an active drug. In this context, it is often viewed as an intrapsychic phenomenon. However, most placebo effects reported in scientific research result from social interactions. These might be explicit, such as the description and administration of a treatment by a practitioner, or less explicit, for example, the recipient's perceptions of the practitioner's credibility, expertise, or confidence. On this basis, placebo effects are arguably social in origin. Many phenomena in sport are likewise social in origin, from the facilitation effects of a home field crowd or a cohesive team, to anxiety induced by an expert opponent or perceived underperformance. Such social effects have been the subject of research not only in social psychology, but also in experimental physiology. Emergent research in cognitive and evolutionary anthropology suggests that these social effects can be examined as a form of placebo effect. This suggestion is not a speculative position predicated on social and placebo effects sharing similar environmental cues and outcomes, but one based on a growing database indicating that drug, placebo, and social effects operate via common neurobiological mechanisms. In this paper, we examine the theoretical and empirical overlap between placebo and social effects and describe emergent research reporting specific brain pathways activated by socio-environmental cues as well as by drugs and placebos. We do so from three perspectives: the competitor, the teammate, the researcher.

Research over the past 15 years on the placebo effect has substantiated its contribution to the efficacy of established treatments for a range of clinical conditions and identified its underlying mechanisms. There is also evidence that placebo effects contribute to the performance benefits of many ergogenic aids, and that performance can worsen when dummy treatments are associated with expectations of a harmful outcome (i.e., the nocebo effect). Unfortunately, the bulk of sport research involving placebos and nocebos continues to be hampered by outdated definitions and conceptualizations of the placebo effect and its mechanisms. This has implications not only for research but also application, as nearly 50% of athletes report experiencing a beneficial placebo effect, and a similar proportion of coaches report providing placebos to their athletes. The objective of this paper is to attempt to stimulate research by presenting updated definitions of the placebo and nocebo effects in the context of sport, describing their major mechanisms and, highlighting the importance of the psychosocial setting in the sport setting on placebo effects.

Placebo and nocebo effects are a factor in sports performance. However, the majority of published studies in sport science are descriptive and speculative regarding mechanisms. It is therefore not unreasonable for the sceptic to argue that placebo and nocebo effects in sport are illusory, and might be better explained by variations in phenomena such as motivation. It is likely that, in sport at least, placebo and nocebo effects will remain in this empirical grey area until researchers provide stronger mechanistic evidence. Recent research in neuroscience has identified a number of consistent, discrete and interacting neurobiological and physiological pathways associated with placebo and nocebo effects, with many studies reporting data of potential interest to sport scientists, for example relating to pain, fatigue and motor control. Findings suggest that placebos and nocebos result in activity of the opioid, endocannabinoid and dopamine neurotransmitter systems, brain regions including the motor cortex and striatum, and measureable effects on the autonomic nervous system. Many studies have demonstrated that placebo and nocebo effects associated with a treatment, for example an inert treatment presented as an analgesic or stimulant, exhibit mechanisms similar or identical to the verum or true treatment. Such findings suggest the possibility of a wide range of distinct placebo and nocebo mechanisms that might influence sports performance. In the present paper, we present some of the findings from neuroscience. Focussing on fatigue as an outcome and caffeine as vehicle, we propose three approaches that researchers in sport might incorporate in their studies in order to better elucidate mechanisms of placebo/nocebo effects on performance.

The aim of the study was to determine whether estimates of the speed-duration relationship are affected using different time-trial (TT) field-based testing protocols, where exhaustive times were located within the generally recommended durations of 2 to 15 min. Ten triathletes (mean±SD age: 31.0±5.7yrs; height: 1.81±0.05m; body mass: 76.5±6.8kg) performed two randomly assigned field-tests to determine critical speed (CS) and the total distance covered above CS (D´). CS and D´ were obtained using two different protocols comprising three TT that were interspersed by 60 min passive rest. The TTs were 12, 7, and 3 min in Protocol I and 10, 5, and 2 min in Protocol II. A linear relationship of speed vs. the inverse of time (s=D´x1/t+CS) was used to determine parameter estimates. Significant differences were found for CS (P=.026), but not for D´ (P=.123). The effect size for CS (d=.305) was considered small, whilst that for D´ was considered moderate (d=.742). CS was significantly correlated between protocols (r=.934; P

It has been proposed that the use of sports supplements by athletes might lead to the use of banned substances. This has been termed the gateway hypothesis. Given this hypothesis, if we accept that athletes use non-banned sports supplements because they believe that they will be effective, a measure of athletes’ beliefs about supplements might allow practitioners to identify athletes at risk of doping. We report the five-stage development of the Sports Supplements Beliefs Scale (SSBS). In study 1 we evaluated athletes’ beliefs about sports supplements by conducting semi-structured interviews on 16 athletes. Inductive and deductive analyses resulted in a pool of 26 items. In study 2 we recruited a panel of experts and athletes to evaluate the content validity of the 26 items. 15 items were eliminated at this stage. In study 3 we subjected the responses of 171 athletes to exploratory factor analysis to determine the factor structure of the scale. A two-factor model emerged, with one strong six-item factor, a less coherent four-item factor, and one item that cross loaded. In study 4, responses of a sample of 412 team sports athletes were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. Of three competing models tested, a six-item single-factor model demonstrated best model fit (χ2/df = 2.894, RMSEA = 0.068; 90% CI = 0.038 to 0.099, P = 0.146, SRMR = 0.0246, CFI = 0.987, TLI = 0.978, AIC = 50.045, EVCI = 0.122). Factor loadings ranged from 0.4 and 0.9. All t-values were statistically significant (P

The placebo effect has been studied in medicine, psychology and neuroscience for well over 50 years. Whilst it remains controversial in many respects, it is now widely accepted as a real neurobiolo...

In June 2017 a group of experts in anthropology, biology, kinesiology, neuroscience, physiology, and psychology convened in Canterbury, UK, to address questions relating to the placebo effect in sport and exercise. The event was supported exclusively by Quality Related (QR) funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The funder did not influence the content or conclusions of the group. No competing interests were declared by any delegate. During the meeting and in follow-up correspondence, all delegates agreed the need to communicate the outcomes of the meeting via a brief consensus statement. The two specific aims of this statement are to encourage researchers in sport and exercise science to 1. Where possible, adopt research methods that more effectively elucidate the role of the brain in mediating the effects of treatments and interventions. 2. Where possible, adopt methods that factor for and/or quantify placebo effects that could explain a percentage of inter-individual variability in response to treatments and intervention.

Objectives: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is independently associated with health and academic attainment in childhood and adolescence. Yet overweight/obesity remain the focus in public health policy. Surveillance of BMI and CRF considering school deprivation levels is limited. Therefore, we examined this in English Primary Schools. Methods: Participants (n=409) were students (9-10 years), from 13 schools. BMI and CRF (20 m shuttle-run) were measured at three time-points across the academic year and a fourth after summer recess. Results: BMI z-scores significantly decreased (p = 0.015) from autumn (z = 0.336 [CI 0.212 to 0.460]) to spring (z = 0.252 [CI 0.132 to 0.371]), and then significantly increased (p = 0.010) to summer (z = 0.327 [CI 0.207 to 0.447]). CRF significantly increased (p < 0.001) from autumn (z = 0.091 [CI -0.014 to 0.196]) to spring (z = 0.492 [CI 0.367 to 0.616]), no change (p = 0.308) into summer (z = 0.411 [CI 0.294 to 0.528]), and a significant decrease (p < 0.001) into the following autumn term (z = 0.125 [CI 0.021 to 0.230]). BMI was unaffected by deprivation; however, pupils from the most deprived areas saw significantly greater reductions in CRF compared with pupils from affluent areas. Conclusion: Significant reductions in children’s CRF occurred over the summer recess and was greater among children from schools in the most deprived areas. This may help inform future research into interventions targeting physical activity of school children, particularly over the summer recess.

A placebo treatment is traditionally administered in a double-blind randomized controlled trial to control for the "real" effects of the treatment under investigation. In the present article, a broader view of the placebo is proposed, one in which the idea of a potentially "useable" placebo component of a sports or exercise medicine treatment is presented. It is argued that many interventions in sport and exercise psychology might contain a placebo component that could be capitalized upon by practitioners through processes often as simple as communicating positive expectations from a treatment to clients. Research findings relating to factors that might influence an individual's response to a placebo, such as personality, situation, and genetics, are briefly addressed. Ethical considerations for practice and future research are discussed.

Critical Power (CP) and W’ are often determined using multi-day testing protocols. To investigate this cumbersome testing method, the purpose of this study was to compare the differences between the conventional use of a 24-h inter-trial recovery time with those of 3 h and 30 min for the determination of CP and W’. Methods: 9 moderately trained cyclists performed an incremental test to exhaustion to establish the power output associated with the maximum oxygen uptake (p V O2max), and 3 protocols requiring time-to-exhaustion trials at a constant work-rate performed at 80%, 100% and 105% of p VO2max. Design: Protocol A utilised 24-h inter-trial recovery (CP24/W’24), protocol B utilised 3-h inter-trial recovery (CP3/W’3), and protocol C used 30-min inter-trial recovery period (CP0.5/W’0.5). CP and W’ were calculated using the inverse time (1/t) versus power (P) relation (P = W’(1/t) + CP). Results: 95% Limits of Agreement between protocol A and B were −9 to 15 W; −7.4 to 7.8 kJ (CP/W’) and between protocol A and protocol C they were −27 to 22 W; −7.2 to 15.1 kJ (CP/W’). Compared to criterion protocol A, the average prediction error of protocol B was 2.5% (CP) and 25.6% (W’), whilst for protocol C it was 3.7% (CP) and 32.9% (W’). Conclusion: 3-h and 30-min inter-trial recovery time protocols provide valid methods of determining CP but not W’ in cycling.

Purpose: We investigated associations between athletes’ use of sport supplements and their responsiveness to placebo and nocebo interventions. Methods: Participants (n=627) reported their intention to use, and actual use of, sport supplements. They then completed a 5x20m repeat sprint protocol in the baseline condition, prior to being randomized to one of three treatments. Participants in the positive-belief treatment were administered an inert capsule described as a potent supplement which would improve sprint performance. Participants in the negative-belief treatment were administered an inert capsule described as a potent supplement which would negatively affect sprint performance. Participants in the control treatment received neither instruction nor capsule. 20 minutes following baseline trials, all participants completed the same repeat sprint protocol in the experimental condition. Results: Compared to controls, no mean differences in performance were observed between baseline and experimental conditions for the positive-belief treatment (-0.07 ± 0.27%, d=0.02), but mean differences were observed for the negative-belief treatment (-0.92 ± 0.31%, d=0.32), suggesting a moderate nocebo effect. In the positive-belief treatment however, a relationship between intention to use supplements and performance was observed. Performance worsened by -1.10% ± 0.30% compared to baseline for participants not intending to use supplements, worsened by -0.64 ± 0.43% among those undecided about supplement use, but improved by 0.19 ± 0.24% among those participants intending to use supplements. Conclusion: Information about a harmful supplement worsened repeat sprint performance (a mean nocebo effect), whereas information about a beneficial supplement did not improve performance (no mean placebo effect was observed). However, participants’ intention to use sport supplements influenced the direction and magnitude of subsequent placebo responses, with participants intending to use supplements more likely to respond to the positive intervention.

It is well known that physical activity and exercise is associated with a lower risk of a range of morbidities and all-cause mortality. Further, it appears that risk reductions are greater when physical activity and/or exercise is performed at a higher intensity of effort. Why this may be the case is perhaps explained by the accumulating evidence linking physical fitness and performance outcomes (e.g. cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and muscle mass) also to morbidity and mortality risk. Current guidelines about the performance of moderate/vigorous physical activity using aerobic exercise modes focuses upon the accumulation of a minimum volume of physical activity and/or exercise, and have thus far produced disappointing outcomes. As such there has been increased interest in the use of higher effort physical activity and exercise as being potentially more efficacious. Though there is currently debate as to the effectiveness of public health prescription based around higher effort physical activity and exercise, most discussion around this has focused upon modes considered to be traditionally ‘aerobic’ (e.g. running, cycling, rowing, swimming etc.). A mode customarily performed to a relatively high intensity of effort that we believe has been overlooked is resistance training. Current guidelines do include recommendations to engage in ‘muscle strengthening activities’ though there has been very little emphasis upon these modes in either research or public health effort. As such the purpose of this debate article is to discuss the emerging higher effort paradigm in physical activity and exercise for public health and to make a case for why there should be a greater emphasis placed upon resistance training as a mode in this paradigm shift.

The present study investigated the effects of online self-help interventions on emotions and satisfaction with performance in a sample of runners ( N = 147). Participants set themselves a running time goal they wished to achieve, and made goal attempts pre and post-intervention. After the first goal attempt, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (1) implementation intentions (if-then planning), (2) goal setting, and (3) control group. During both goal attempts, participants reported the intensity of pre-run emotions retrospectively and satisfaction with performance. Results indicated post-intervention emotions were significantly more pleasant and less unpleasant, with more runners reported as performing to expectation. Results also indicated emotion-performance satisfaction relationships strengthened post-intervention. Contrary to expectations, implementation intentions did not produce greater benefits when compared to goal-setting intervention and control groups. We suggest that future research should continue to investigate the efficacy of brief online interventions in regulating emotions and performance.

Research into emotion regulation in sport has predominantly focused on intrapersonal regulation of emotion response systems (i.e. subjective experience, cognitions, behaviours or physiological responses). However, researchers in social psychology have suggested that the emotion regulation process is inherently social and interpersonal. This shift represents a significant change in how emotion regulation is conceptualized and, given the intensity of emotions experienced in sport, represents a potentially productive line of enquiry. This review addresses interpersonal emotion regulation in sport, and draws attention to work in social psychology that might inform future sports research. Specifically, the utility of social-functional approaches will be considered.

The effects of a 4-week lower body injury prevention program on knee muscle torque-angle relationship were examined in soccer players. Twenty men were randomly allocated to either a control (n = 10) or training group (n = 10). The training group underwent three training sessions per week, comprising 3 sets of 8 repetitions of one open-chain exercise (Nordic curl) and two closed-chain exercises-forward lunges on a Bosu balance trainer and eccentric single leg dead lifts. Maximal peak knee flexion torque was measured at 35°, 45°, 60°, 80°, 90°, and 100° pre- and post-intervention. Significant improvements were observed only at 80° (p = .001; d = .94) along with a nonsignificant trend at 35° (p = .081; d = .43). As these modifications might protect athletes against muscle and joint injuries, the use of both stable-open and unstable-closed kinetic chain exercises emphasizing eccentric hamstring and knee stabilization actions should be integrated into injury prevention programs in team sports athletes.; 1.425 JCR (2013) Q3, 42/81 Sport Sciences UEM

The present study investigated relationships between emotions and emotion regulation strategies employed by runners. Given that athletes and exercisers strive toward personally meaningful goals, sport and exercise settings represent a potentially fruitful context in which emotion regulation could be studied. Volunteer runners (N = 1025) reported recalled emotions experienced and emotion regulation strategies used in the hour before a recent run. Results indicated that using strategies to increase unpleasant emotions was associated with an emotional profile characterized by low scores of pleasant emotions and energetic arousal, and high scores of anger, anxiety, and other unpleasant emotions. Further, using strategies to increase unpleasant emotions was also associated with greater use of strategies to increase pleasant emotions. We argue that individuals will seek to increase the intensity of emotions, even hedonically unpleasant ones such as anger or anxiety, if they believe them useful to the attainment of a goal, thereby exhibiting instrumental emotion regulation. Practitioners should consider assessing the motivational intentions underpinning attempts at emotion regulation prior to exercise, with a particular focus on the use of strategies intended to increase hedonically unpleasant emotions, and their associated performance implications.

Aim Insufficient research examines the treatment effectiveness of real-world physical activity (PA) interventions. Purpose We investigated the effects of 3 interventions on directly measured cardiovascular variables. All treatments and measures were administered in community settings by fitness centre staff. Methods Participants were sedentary individuals receiving no medication to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk (n=369, age 43 ±5 years). In a semirandomised design, participants were allocated to a structured gym exercise programme (STRUC), unstructured gym exercise (FREE), physical activity counselling (PAC) or a measurement-only control condition (CONT). Measures were: predicted aerobic capacity (VO2: mL kg min), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP: mm Hg) and total cholesterol (TC: mmol/L), and were taken at baseline and 48 weeks. Results Data analysis indicated a statistically significant deterioration in TC in CONT (0.8%, SD=0.5, p=0.005), and a statistically significant improvement in MAP in STRUC (2.5%, SD=8.3, p=0.004). Following a median split by baseline VO2, paired-sample t tests indicated significant improvements in VO2 among low-fit participants in STRUC (3.5%, SD=4.8, p=0.003), PAC (3.3%, SD=7.7, p=0.050) and FREE (2.6%, SD=4.8, p=0.006), and significant deterioration of VO2 among high-fit participants in FREE (−2.0%, SD=5.6, p=0.037), and PAC (−3.2%, SD=6.4, p=0.031). Conclusions Several forms of PA may offset increased cholesterol resulting from inactivity. Structured PA (exercise) might be more effective than either unstructured PA or counselling in improving blood pressure, and community-based PA interventions might be more effective in improving VO2 among low-fit than among high-fit participants.

An online survey was used to explore emotion regulation strategies used by runners (N = 506, mean age = 37.69 years, SD = 8.84 years) in the hour prior to training or competition. Content analysis of responses identified 28 categories of emotion regulation strategy, with the most popular being goal setting (23%), distraction (12%), recall of past performance accomplishments (12%), and anticipated pleasant emotions after running (10%). Participants reported greater use of cognitive strategies than behavioural ones, with responses suggesting that emotion regulation and performance management are closely related. Given this cognitive focus, and given the performance aspect inherent to running, it is suggested that individuals' approaches to emotion regulation in sport and exercise contexts differ somewhat from those involved in general daily activities reported in the social psychology literature.

Emotions experienced before and during sports competition have been found to influence sports performance. Emotion regulation is defined as the automatic or deliberate use of strategies to initiate, maintain, modify or display emotions (GrossThompson, 2007) and is proposed to occur when a discrepancy exists between current and desired emotions. Two distinct motivations to regulate emotion - hedonic and instrumental (in short, for pleasure or for purpose) - have been proposed (Tamir, 2009). The instrumental approach might provide a more fruitful area of investigation for sports researchers as some athletes hold beliefs that supposedly pleasant emotions such as happiness and calmness associate with poor performance and supposedly unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and anger associate with good performance (Hanin, 2010). Athletes are more likely to try to regulate an emotion if they believe that doing so will facilitate performance. Strategies that encourage re-appraisal of factors that trigger emotions are proposed to be preferable. In this British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) expert statement, a summary of the key theoretical issues are offered leading to evidence-based recommendations for practitioners and researchers.

Novice soldiers (N = 95) reported their emotions and their use of emotion regulation strategies across a range of domains. Results indicate significant differences between emotions and emotion regulation strategies across situations. Prior to parachuting, participants reported feeling intense anxiety and happiness whilst also feeling energetic, a profile similar to that which they experienced in sport. This was however different to those experienced in work and in life in general. In terms of emotion regulation strategies, participants reported greater use of strategies to increase unpleasant emotions an hour before parachuting than in other situations. Findings suggest that developing training protocols to increase the flexibility and versatility of emotion regulation skills might enhance the preparation of novice soldiers for military duties.

This study examined relationships between beliefs about emotions (meta-emotion beliefs), emotion regulation strategies, and pre-competition emotional states using an instrumental model of emotion regulation. Three hundred and sixty runners reported meta-beliefs about the influence of anxiety and/or anger on performance, completed a short emotion scale, and reported their use of emotion regulation strategies. Results indicated that 55 runners (15%) reported meta-emotion beliefs that strategies aimed at increasing anxiety and/or anger would help performance while 305 runners (85%) reported beliefs that strategies intended to reduce the same emotions before competition would help performance. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that people who believe that anxiety or anger is good for performance reported high anger, but not anxiety, before performance. They also reported using strategies to increase unpleasant emotions. We suggest that further research is needed to examine relationships between meta-emotion beliefs and the use of emotion regulation strategies in sport.

The Emotion Regulation of Other and Self scale (EROS: Niven, Totterdell, Stride, & Holman, 2011) was originally designed to assess strategies used to increase both pleasant and unpleasant emotions in a range of situations and over a 4 week period. The aim of the present study was to cross-validate the scale in a specific situation and over a shorter timeframe, specifically in sport competition. Participants (N = 700) completed the EROS scale whilst recalling strategies within an hour of competing in a running race of personal importance. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate some support for the integrity of a two-factor model. Factor loadings indicated limitations with items designed to assess behavioral strategies to increase pleasant emotions and also unpleasant emotions. After removing these weak-loading items and reanalyzing data, results indicated acceptable fit indices. We suggest the scale has some utility in running but recommend that future research should develop domain- specific items.

Our research assessed whether mood and emotion can be measured as distinct constructs. Development and validation of the Emotion and Mood Components of Anxiety Questionnaire (EMCA-Q) is reported. We based the questionnaire on a subjective-contextual model of emotion-mood distinctions, which specifies that differentiation of the emotion of anxiety from an anxious mood should reflect an individual's awareness of the context in which the respective feeling states occur. In study 1, we describe the development of the 10-item, two factor EMCA-Q. In study 2, we use confirmatory factor analysis to provide support for the factorial validity of the scale. In study 3, we provide preliminary evidence of construct validity by demonstrating that students preparing to submit their thesis reported significantly higher scores of anxious emotion about their thesis than anxious mood. Findings suggested that emotion and mood might be distinguished empirically in line with theoretical predictions when subjective-contextual information used to distinguish between the two states was assessed.

The placebo effect is widely recognized but important questions remain, for example whether the capacity to respond to a placebo is an evolved, and potentially ubiquitous trait, or an unpredictable side effect of another evolved process. Understanding this will determine the degree to which the physiology underlying placebo effects might be manipulated or harnessed to optimize medical treatments. We argue that placebo effects are cases of phenotypic plasticity where once predictable cues are now unpredictable. Importantly, this explains why placebo-like effects are observed in less complex organisms such as worms and flies. Further, this indicates that such species present significant opportunities to test hypotheses that would be ethically or pragmatically impossible in humans. This paradigm also suggests that data informative of human placebo effects pre-exist in studies of model organisms.

The placebo effect, with its central role in clinical trials, is acknowledged as a factor in sports medicine, although until recently little has been known about the likely magnitude and extent of the effect in any specific research setting. Even less is known about the prevalence of the effect in competitive sport. The present paper reviews 12 intervention studies in sports performance. All examine placebo effects associated with the administration of an inert substance believed by subjects to be an ergogenic aid. Placebo effects of varying magnitudes are reported in studies addressing sports from weightlifting to endurance cycling. Findings suggest that psychological variables such as motivation, expectancy and conditioning, and the interaction of these variables with physiological variables, might be significant factors in driving both positive and negative outcomes. Programmatic research involving the triangulation of data, and investigation of contextual and personality factors in the mediation of placebo responses may help to advance knowledge in this area.

Anecdotal and experimental evidence suggest that the placebo effect is seen in athletics. To this end, placebos have been used in clinical practice and athletic performance. Positive reinforcement and the beliefs of athletes might contribute to the magnitude and direction of the effect, while supplement color, cost, and method of delivery also might be salient factors. Physiological changes similar to those resulting from active medication have been observed as the result of the administration of placebos, raising questions about placebo mechanisms. Researchers should look at design methods that will isolate placebo effects from those of experimental medication.

The ergogenic effects of caffeine are well documented. Research has yet to examine any psychological contribution to this effect. Aim: To explore the psychological and pharmacological effects of caffeine in laboratory cycling performance. Method: Fourteen male competitive cyclists performed 14 40-km time trials (eight experimental interspersed with six baseline). The experimental phase consisted of two trials for each of four experimental conditions: informed caffeine/received caffeine, informed no treatment/received caffeine, informed caffeine/received placebo, and informed no treatment/received no treatment. Conditions were nonrandomized. ANOVA was used to estimate main effects and interactions for mean values of power, heart rate, blood lactate, and maximal oxygen uptake. Probabilistic inferences for mean power were based on a smallest worthwhile change of 1.5%. Results: Relative to baseline, a very likely beneficial main effect of receiving caffeine (3.5%; 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 5.5%), and a possibly beneficial main effect of being informed of caffeine (0.7%; -0.7 to 2.1%) were observed. A substantial interaction between belief and pharmacology indicated that caffeine exerted a greater effect on performance in conditions when subjects were informed that they had not ingested it, whereas belief exerted a greater influence on performance in the absence of caffeine (2.6%; -0.7 to 5.9%). A possibly harmful negative placebo (nocebo) effect was observed when subjects were correctly informed that they had ingested no caffeine (-1.9%; -4.1 to 0.3%). No clinically significant changes relative to baseline were observed in mean heart rate. Clear and substantial increases in blood lactate were evident after receipt of caffeine. Data for mean oxygen uptake were unclear. Conclusion: Our data support the ergogenic efficacy of caffeine but suggest that both positive and negative expectations impact performance.

The present study investigated the effects of emotion regulation strategies on self-reported emotions and 1600 m track running performance. In stage 1 of a three-stage study, participants (N = 15) reported emotional states associated with best, worst and ideal performance. Results indicated that a best and ideal emotional state for performance composed of feeling happy, calm, energetic and moderately anxious whereas the worst emotional state for performance composed of feeling downhearted, sluggish and highly anxious. In stage 2, emotion regulation interventions were developed using online material and supported by electronic feedback. One intervention motivated participants to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions (e.g. feel more angry and anxious). A second intervention motivated participants to reduce the intensity of unpleasant emotions (e.g. feel less angry and anxious). In stage 3, using a repeated measures design, participants used each intervention before running a 1600 m time trial. Data were compared with a no treatment control condition. The intervention designed to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions resulted in higher anxiety and lower calmness scores but no significant effects on 1600 m running time. The intervention designed to reduce the intensity of unpleasant emotions was associated with significantly slower times for the first 400 m. We suggest future research should investigate emotion regulation, emotion and performance using quasi-experimental methods with performance measures that are meaningful to participants.

1. Introduction Andrew M. Lane Section 1: What inner states influence what people think, feel, and behave? 2. Mood and sport performance Andrew M. Lane 3. Sport Confidence Kate Hays, Andrew P. Lane and Owen Thomas 4. Anxiety in Sport: Are we any closer to untangling the knots? Mark Uphill 5. Physical Activity and Self-Esteem Michael J. Duncan and Emma L. J. Eyre Section 2: How can people manage or self-regulate their own inner states? 6. Self-Control in Sport: Does Willpower Resemble a Muscle? Christopher Fullerton 7. Understanding stress and coping amongst competitive athletes in sport: Applying psychological theory and research Tracey Devonport 8. Managing own and others' emotions in sport: Applied and research considerations Andrew Friesen 9. Exercise Addiction Attila Szabo, and Alexei Y. Egorov Section 3: How can sport and exercise psychology professionals help people manage their inner states? 10. Applied sport psychology: Enhancing performance using psychological skills training Richard Thelwell 11. Imagery in sport, Dave Smith and Caroline Wakefield 12. Understanding and Applying Performance Profiling in Sport Neil J.V. Weston 13. The scientific application of music in exercise and sport: towards a new theoretical model Costas I. Karageorghis Section 4: Beliefs versus reality, or beliefs as reality? 14. Beliefs versus reality, or beliefs as reality? The placebo effect in sport and exercise Chris Beedie and Abby Foad

that many studies examining the treatment effectiveness of exercise in the real world adopt laboratory style methods and controls that would be impractical and uneconomic in real-world interventions. Data resulting from such studies merely add to the efficacy data set. We argue that despite metaphorically drowning in evidence of efficacy and implementation effectiveness, SEM is yet to provide sufficient evidence of treatment effectiveness. Furthermore, while it is a mistake to confuse efficacy with effectiveness, 9 in lobbying for exercise as a public health tool, we often do just that.

Most academics agree that emotions and moods are related but distinct phenomena. The present study assessed emotion-mood distinctions among a non-academic population and compared these views with distinctions proposed in the literature. Content analysis of responses from 106 participants identified 16 themes, with cause (65% of respondents), duration (40%), control (25%), experience (15%), and consequences (14%) the most frequently cited distinctions. Among 65 contributions to the academic literature, eight themes were proposed, with duration (62% of authors), intentionality (41%), cause (31%), consequences (31%), and function (18%) the most frequently cited. When the eight themes cited by both academics and non-academics were rank ordered, approximately 60% overlap in opinion was evident. A data-derived summary of emotion-mood distinctions is provided. These data should prove useful to investigators interested in developing a clearer scientific distinction between emotion and mood than is currently available.

The current study tested Lane and Terry's (2000) proposal that depressed mood moderates anger‐performance and tension‐performance relationships. One hundred and thirty‐six male sport students completed the 24‐item Brunel Mood Scale followed by a concentration grid test. Participants were dichotomized into depressed mood (n = 59) and no depression (n = 77) groups. Structural equation modeling showed that mood predicted 41% of performance variance in the no‐depression group and 31% in the depressed‐mood group. As hypothesized, anger was associated with good performance in the no‐depression group and poor performance in the depressed‐mood group, supporting the notion that depressed mood moderates the anger‐performance relationship. Contrary to expectations, tension scores showed no significant relationship with performance in either group. Future research should continue to investigate the mechanisms underlying mood‐performance relationships.

A sedentary lifestyle is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Blood pressure (BP) and blood lipids (cholesterols) are key mediators of CVD. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates reduced CVD risk following systematic physical activity (PA). Despite this evidence, CVD continues to rise, and public health PA initiatives often fail to demonstrate clinically relevant effects. In short, laboratory efficacy often fails to translate into real-world effectiveness.PURPOSE: We investigated the effectiveness of three physical activity interventions. We did so using a Phase-IV clinical trial model, in which all treatments were administered in uncontrolled community settings, and in which all interventions and measures were delivered by, and conducted by, community health centre staff.METHODS: Participants were sedentary individuals receiving no medication to reduce CVD risk (n=238, age 43±5 years). Participants selected a PA or exercise (EX) pathway. Those who selected PA were randomised to either fitness centre based PA counselling delivered by an exercise professional (PAC) or a wait-list control condition (CONT). Those who selected EX were randomised to either a structured exercise program (STRUC) or unstructured fitness centre use (FREE). Measures were mean arterial pressure (MAP: mmHg) estimated using the formula Diastolic Blood Pressure (BP) + (0.33 x (Systolic BP – Diastolic BP)), and total cholesterol (TC: mmol/L). Measures were taken at baseline and 48 weeks. Data were analysed using paired-sample t-tests.RESULTS: Data analysis for cholesterol indicated a small but statistically significant increase in TC in CONT (M=0.8%, SD=0.5, p = .005). TC was however approximately equivalent to baseline in PAC and FREE and reduced, although not significantly, in STRUC. Data for blood pressure indicated a statistically significant decrease in MAP in STRUC (M=2.5%, SD=8.3, P = .004). MAP was reduced, although not significantly, in all other treatments and CONT.CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that over 48 weeks, all forms of exercise might be effective in offsetting increases in total cholesterol associated with inactivity. Furthermore, a structured exercise programme might be more effective than either unstructured exercise or physical activity counselling in reducing mean arterial blood pressure.

PURPOSE: Evidence for the effectiveness of GP Exercise Referral is weak (1, 2). We examined traditional supervised exercise (TRAD), physical activity counselling (PAC), combined TRAD/PAC (CMB) and wait-list controls (CON) in a community exercise referral programme in South East London, UK.METHODS: PPs (n=141) were identified by their doctors as overweight and at increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. PPs were randomly assigned to treatment. Measures were blood pressure and body composition at baseline and 12 weeks. RESULTS: One-way ANOVA of absolute change in dependant variables between treatments indicated that body fat mass, body fat % and systolic blood pressure were reduced at 12 weeks for all groups including CONT. No statistically significant between-group effects were observed. Paired sample t-tests indicated that lean mass was significantly increased at 12 weeks for all groups including CON; diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased for all groups at 12 weeks except PAC. Retention was highest to CMB (75%), followed by CON (68%), with PAC and TRAD both at 55%. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment groups and CON appeared to benefit from the programme, with likely measurement effects partially explaining improvement in CON. High retention to CMB is of significance to future GP Referral programmes.

Sedentary lifestyle is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. A compelling body of evidence demonstrates the amelioration and prevention of such conditions with increased levels of physical activity (PA). Despite this evidence, many public health initiatives aimed at increasing PA have failed to demonstrate clinically relevant effects on public health. It has been hypothesized that the highly controlled environments in which PA and health research is conducted limits its replicability in real-world community settings. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of community fitness center-based interventions on inactivity-related diseases in adults. Data from 11 investigations highlighted 3 factors: (1) a lack of community-based PA studies, (2) a lack of clinically relevant data, and 3) further reliance on self-report and rudimentary measurements. It is concluded that the current laboratory-based evidence for PA and health is to be replicated yet in real-world settings and that rigorous and clinically relevant naturalistic research is required.