The Effects of Sports on Individual Cognition, Motivation and Mental Health

Dear Colleagues,

Emotions mediate responses in various cognitive processes, in memory processes, conflict resolution, assessment of situations for decision-making, fine-tuned information processing, etc. [1–3]. In order to learn to regulate and navigate emotions in relation to thoughts and actions, cognitive control processes (i.e., inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and planning) enable an adaptive response to specific goals or tasks [4–5]. Positive stimuli appear to improve performance on tasks that assess inhibitory control and mental flexibility [6–7]. This evidence is supported by Fredrickson's Expansion and Construction Theory, which maintains that positive emotions enhance people's thinking and action systems, which is related to a greater attention span, better creative problem solving, as well as improved cognitive flexibility[8]. In this integration of emotional and cognitive processes, positive emotions are associated with more open, global and flexible cognitive processing and the ability to integrate information from the environment [9]. In turn, regular physical exercise has reported numerous evidences of its physical, cognitive and mental health effects. Authors like Fox makes more than two decades ago that concluded that physical activity is a "healthy tool" to increase the quality of life at the psychological level. Manifesting through the improvement of mood, emotionality, psychological well-being, among other benefits at the psychological level. In this sense, research paradigm as psychology biopsychology biopsychology and positive psychology (between the study is found emotional intelligence, IE). Thus, an intelligent use of emotions is essential for one's own physical and psychological adaptation to the social context. However, it is essential to provide further descriptive, explanatory and exploratory scientific evidence on the causal relationship of the effects of sport on individual cognition, motivation and mental health.

Reference

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2. Pekrun, R.; Frenzel, A.C.; Goetz, T.; & Perry, R.P. The Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions. P. A. Schutz & R. Pekrun. Emotion in Education, Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2007; pp. 13–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012372545-5/50003-4.
3. Ruetti, E.; Segretin, M.S.; Ramírez, V.A.; & Lipina, S.J. Role of Emotional Appraisal in Episodic Memory in a Sample of Argentinean Preschoolers. Stud. in Psychol. 2019, 10, 2556. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02556.
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6. Liu, X.; Yang, Y.; Jiang, S.; & Li, J. The facilitating effect of positive emotions during an emotional Stroop task. NeuroReport. 2018, 29, 883–888. https://doi.org/10.1097/WNR.0000000000001048.
7. Zhu, Z.; Xu, W.; & Xue, S. Cognitive Mechanism of Emotional Validity Influencing Conflict Control. J. of Psychother. Pract. and Res. 2019, 1, 22–30. https://doi.org/10.14302/issn.2574-612X.ijpr-18-2460.
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Prof. Dr. Noelia Belando-Pedreño
Guest Editor

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• sports
• cognition
• motivation
• mental health
• physical activity
• exercise
• emotions
• cognitive flexibility
• quality of life