Cognitive Fatigue, Humor, and Physical Activity: A Field Experiment Testing Whether Humorous Messages Promote Walking in Cognitively Fatigued Individuals.
Michelle Symons, Mohammad Hasan Rahmani, Konrad Rudnicki, Clara Alida Cutello, Karolien Poels, Heidi Vandebosch
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Despite the success of humorous messages in various health interventions, its role in promoting physical activity (PA) remains understudied. This study addresses this gap by investigating the effectiveness of humorous messages in a 2-week smartphone-based intervention aimed at promoting walking behavior, particularly amongst cognitively fatigued individuals. Female participants (n = 57; Mage = 32.00; SD = 4.385) received humorous, nonhumorous, or a mix of both messages (in the form of memes) via a study-specific application, with cognitive fatigue measured daily. Panel linear regression models revealed a significant positive interaction between cognitive fatigue and message type. Our results suggest that the resilience of humorous messages to cognitive fatigue and their potential as motivational tools position them as a more robust choice for promoting PA. Importantly, when cognitively fatigued individuals received humorous messages, their walking behaviors showed no significant change, in contrast to the detrimental impact of nonhumorous messages on exercise. Recognizing the differential effects of cognitive fatigue on message effectiveness and considering the potential of humorous messages as motivational tools offers a valuable perspective for tailoring interventions to individual states.
期刊介绍:
As an outlet for scholarly intercourse between medical and social sciences, this noteworthy journal seeks to improve practical communication between caregivers and patients and between institutions and the public. Outstanding editorial board members and contributors from both medical and social science arenas collaborate to meet the challenges inherent in this goal. Although most inclusions are data-based, the journal also publishes pedagogical, methodological, theoretical, and applied articles using both quantitative or qualitative methods.