Physical Activity and Meaning in Life: A Scoping Review

Zhanjia Zhang (), Miao Miao and Xiaoyuan Zhang
Additional contact information
Zhanjia Zhang: Peking University
Miao Miao: Peking University
Xiaoyuan Zhang: Peking University

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2025, vol. 26, issue 5, No 17, 18 pages

Abstract: Abstract Meaning in life is a key concept in positive psychology and has received increasing attention in recent years. This study aimed to provide an overview of the relationship between meaning in life and physical activity through reviewing the existing literature. A systematic search was conducted in databases including Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, and SportDiscus for studies of varying designs and populations. Nineteen cross-sectional studies, ten longitudinal studies, and one randomized controlled trial, with a total of 107,954 participants, met the inclusion criteria and were included for further analysis. Overall, despite the considerable heterogeneity in the study characteristics of the included articles, more than 90% of the studies reviewed reported a positive association between MIL and at least one PA indicator. The majority of included studies reported a correlation coefficient ranging from 0.1 to 0.3, indicating small-to-medium effect sizes. In addition, the relationship between meaning in life and physical activity is likely to be reciprocal, as the mutual influence in both directions is supported by substantial evidence. Possible mechanisms were explored in four studies, and health investment, self-efficacy, basic psychological needs, and motivations and barriers of physical activity appear to be potential mediators of the relationship between meaning in life and physical activity. Future research should employ more rigorous methodological designs, such as longitudinal and experimental studies, to better understand the causal pathways between meaning in life and physical activity, and develop and test theoretical models that can comprehensively explain the complex interdependencies between them.

Keywords: Physical activity; Exercise; Meaning in life; Purpose in life; Review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10902-025-00858-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:26:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s10902-025-00858-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... fe/journal/10902/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s10902-025-00858-8

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Happiness Studies is currently edited by Antonella Delle Fave

More articles in Journal of Happiness Studies from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().