What your favourite exercise tells you about your personality

Whether we’re at home, outdoors or in the gym, many of us dread certain forms of exercise while looking forward to others.

Now, a new study reveals that this could all be down to our personality type.  

In experiments, scientists at the University College London assessed the temperaments of more than 100 people and their preferred type of exercise.

They found high-intensity interval training (HIIT) – which combines quick bursts of intense exercise combined with short recovery periods – is typically favoured by shameless extroverts who love to be seen. 

Meanwhile, those who prefer short exercise sessions conducted alone are likely neurotic – meaning they’re prone to negative or obsessive thoughts. 

According to the researchers, tailoring our exercise routines to our personality can help us stick to our regimes and ultimately get fit. 

‘You often hear about people trying to become more active, but struggling to make lasting changes,’ said first author Dr Flaminia Ronca at University College London.

‘We found that our personality can influence how we engage with exercise, and particularly which forms of exercise we enjoy the most.’

For the study, Dr Ronca and colleagues recruited 132 volunteers from the general public with a range of fitness levels and backgrounds. 

Participants were assigned to either an eight-week home-based cycling and strength training course or a ‘resting’ control group who continued with their usual lifestyle. 

Throughout the experiments, participants had their fitness and stress levels assessed and completed a questionnaire on how much they’d enjoyed training sessions. 

To assess personality, participants were tested for levels of the ‘big five’ traits – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. 

The ‘big five’ personality traits are the best accepted and most commonly used model of personality in academic psychology.

Unsurprisingly, participants who completed the fitness course got fitter and stronger regardless of how the scored on the personality test. 

But crucially, the researchers found several connections between personality traits and enjoyment of certain forms of exercise. 

For example, extroverts tended to particularly enjoy high intensity exercise, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT) and a fitness test of maximum intensity cycling. 

Meanwhile, conscientiousness was linked with aerobic exercise (repetitive activity that uses oxygen and increases your heart rate, such as brisk walking) and core strength exercises (which strengthen the core muscles). 

Conscientious people were also found to be generally more physically active, the team said, but are likely driven by the health-related outcomes of engaging in physical activity rather than enjoyment. 

And people who scored highly on neuroticism – a personality trait associated with worrying and anxiety – preferred short bursts of activity rather than a prolonged effort. 

Neurotic individuals also preferred private workouts and not being monitored, such as not having their heart rate recorded, while they were undertaking the programme. 

This finding suggests that neurotic individuals appreciate being given space for independence and privacy when engaging in exercise. 

Interestingly, the only group to experience a significant reduction in stress levels after exercising were those who scored highly for neuroticism.

This suggests exercise is particularly effective at reducing stress for neurotic people, but less so for people with other personality traits. 

The researchers also found those scoring high on openness – characterised by creativity, curiosity, and willingness to learn – rated strenuous exercise as less enjoyable than other activities. 

While not all personality traits had a link to exercise enjoyment, the new study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, can help people opt for types of exercise that fit their personalities. 

This tactic could make working out feel more enjoyable, which might mean we stick to it for longer and ultimately get healthier. 

‘Our brains are wired in different ways, which drives our behaviours and how we interact with our environment,’ said Dr Ronca. 

‘So it’s not surprising that personality would also influence how we respond to different intensities of exercise.

‘We could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual – and hopefully help them to become and remain more active.’