Exploring Gym Personalities

Name: Gym personalities.

Age: An age-old concept.

Appearance: That varies based on personality.

My personality is “enjoys cake.” Admittedly, that might lack scientific rigor, but it’s a place to start. Do you enjoy exercising?

I think I’d have to say no, unless I’m a masochist. That’s an interesting take. Why do you feel that way?

What if I’m at the gym and all these muscular guys are staring at me? Well, I have both good and bad news. The good news is that you fit into a recognized category. A recent study found that those with higher neuroticism often skip regular exercise.

What else can you tell me about this study? University College London conducted research with 132 participants over eight weeks, where they filled out questionnaires about how much they enjoyed the activities.

Who doesn’t love a sweaty questionnaire? After that, their personalities were evaluated to see if they showed traits of extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, or openness.

And did all the neurotic types dislike exercising? Pretty much. Those with higher neurotic scores felt uncomfortable working out in front of others and preferred moderate exercises in private.

What about the others? Individuals scoring high in extroversion thrived on high-energy workouts like weightlifting and spin classes.

So there’s finally science explaining why spin classes can feel intense. Yes, but ironically, those extroverts didn’t have the best fitness outcomes. That honor went to the conscientious individuals, who understood the benefits of regular exercise better.

Besides highlighting how extroverts are a bit annoying, what’s the takeaway? Well, we know exercise is beneficial, but perhaps many don’t engage because they’re choosing activities that don’t suit their personality. When did you last hit the gym?

It was a few years back. There were plenty of big guys, and I had a feeling some noticed me. Sounds like the gym isn’t ideal for your personality type. How about investing in some resistance bands and working out at home?

Yeah, that sounds more suitable. Exactly! Especially if you identify as neurotic. The study indicated that neurotics were the only group to show a significant stress reduction post-exercise.

So, exercising could potentially lessen my neurotic tendencies? It’s certainly a possibility. Who knows, if you start to enjoy it, you might even find some extroverted qualities emerging.

I think I’m just going to go back to bed. Fair enough.

Do say: “I should choose a workout that aligns with my personality.”

Don’t say: “I hear that worrying about the state of the world burns a lot of calories.”