The acute affective response of type A behaviour pattern individuals to competitive and noncompetitive exercise

Exercise has beneficial acute mood effects; however, for Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP) individuals the positive mood effects of exercise may not be consistent because of their tendency to perceive exercise situations as competitive. This study examined whether competition (and the ensuing effort) would influence the acute affective response of exercising TABP individuals. Results indicated that TABP individuals exercising in the competitive condition had less favourable affective response than those in the non-competitive condition. Effects were most apparent for general affect, depression, and anger, and less notable for state anxiety. There was a trend for TABP individuals in the noncompetitive condition to show affective benefit whereas the affect of those in the competitive condition tended to be uninfluenced by exercise.