The Relationship between Subjective Appraisals and Mood Changes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to reveal the relationship between the individual subjective appraisals of those who experienced university physical education classes and their change of mood. The subjects were 94 university students in PE classes：48 man and 46 women. The POMS test was conducted before and after the exercise，and subjective appraisals about the PE exercise were also done after the exercise. ”Exercise intensity”，”Fitness level”，”Satisfaction”，”Enjoyment”，”Exercise preference” and ”Exercise importance” were evaluated by three categories as the subjective appraisals. As a whole，the results showed a significant decrease in negative moods of tension，depression，hostility and confusion between pre− and post−exercise. In addition，a detailed analysis was conducted about the influence of each subjective factor. In regard to the exercise intensity factor，the group which rated the exercise as too weak didn't experience any change in moods，while the group which rated the exercise as moderate decreased in negative mood and increased in positive mood. In regard to the fitness level factor，the group which rated their fitness as high had no change，while the groups which rated their fitness as normal or low decreased in negative mood and increased in positive mood. Moreover，in regard to the enjoyment factor，the group which rated the exercise as unpleasant decreased in positive mood，whereas the group which rated the exercise as pleasant decreased in negative mood and increased in positive mood. These results suggest that subjective appraisals about exercise greatly relate to change in mood as well as to moderate exercise intensity for the individuals.