The Role of Emotions in Physical Exercise: Correlations with Neurophysiological Measures

Dear Colleagues,

The interplay between emotions and physical exercise capacity has long been of interest, given their implications for sports performance and health situations. In the past few years, there has been increased interest in exploring how emotions and exercise capacity are related to the neurophysiological routes that mediate these responses, as the ability to manage the physical effort demands naturally encountered in physical exercise scenarios requires tolerating unpleasant sensations, mostly derived from the exercise itself (but not limited to it). Hence, understanding how neurophysiological routes influence an individuals’ capacity to overcome aversive sensations is fundamental to also understand how individuals can improve their exercise capacity. Of course, this relationship has implications not only from an individual perspective, but also from a public health and sports performance policy perspective. For example, the neurophysiological routes–emotions interplay may be important for understanding particularities of physical exercise adherence as well as athletic performance, thus potentially affecting exercise programs oriented to promote health, leisure and sports in the future. Thus, this Special Issue calls for papers that explore neurochemical and/or neurophysiological routes of emotions manifested during physical exercise. We welcome articles that explore how a multitude of neurochemical (neurotransmitters) and neurophysiological responses (brain activation, brain excitability, etc.) relate to perceived exertion, pleasure, mood, motivation, etc. in exercise contexts, thereby contributing to advancements in the integrative psychophysiological field.

Prof. Dr. Flávio Oliveira Pires
Guest Editor

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• brain
• exercise performance
• exercise adherence
• psychology
• psychophysiology