Media mention: Professor says exercising while listening to the news increases stress levels
When exercising, humans simulate a stressful environment through increasing blood flow and heart rate. Studies have found that listening to the news, especially during this time, while exercising may not be a good decision.
Patrick O’Connor, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, studies how exercise intersects with mental health as well as cognition. O’Connor says that distracted workouts hamper the nice mental-health side effects.
“The anxiety-reducing benefits of 20 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling were blocked when the participants did cognitive work while exercising,” he said.