12.3: Hedonic Theory

Hedonic theory posits that affective responses and memories of these responses have motivational value, such that people typically seek to repeat experiences that are pleasant and avoid those that are unpleasant. Humans likely seek to maximize pleasure and minimize displeasure because of its survival value. That is, feeling good often indicates that the action or experience will increase the odds of survival, while feeling bad may indicate increased risk of danger that could lead to injury or death (Panksepp, 2008). Cabanac (1992) theorized that the “maximization of pleasure, and the minimization of displeasure, not only leads to useful behavior, but is also the answer to motivational conflicts” (p. 174). Applied to the context of exercise, hedonic theory suggests that people are more likely to participate in exercise that leads them to experience pleasure and avoid exercise that makes them feel displeasure. Importantly, hedonic theory may help to explain why people often dropout from exercise programs, despite the many well-known health benefits of physical activity.

Especially over the past two decades, hedonic theory has seen increasing theoretical (Brand & Ekkekakis, 2018; Ekkekakis, 2014; Ekkekakis & Dafermos, 2012) and empirical support among exercise scientists. For example, Williams and colleagues (2008) found that affective responses during exercise predicted future exercise behavior. In their study, participants completed a graded submaximal exercise test, where the exercise intensity became progressively more challenging over time. Affective valence, or, the pleasure and displeasure experienced by the exerciser, was measured at baseline (prior to the start of exercise), and every two minutes during exercise. Affective valence was also recorded when participants reached the moderate-intensity domain. Interestingly, the researchers observed “considerable variability” in affective responses. Specifically, 27.0% reported more pleasure during moderate-intensity exercise compared to baseline, 43.2% reported no change in affective valence, and 29.7% reported feeling less pleasure (p. 237). Afterwards, the researchers found that participants who experienced more pleasure during exercise also reported more exercise six- and 12-months later. A few years later, Williams and colleagues (2012) studied the relationship between affective responses to walking and subsequent physical activity. The researchers reported that the extent to which individuals experienced pleasure during walking was related to their future physical activity, whereas affective responses following the walk (i.e., during period of rest afterward) were unrelated to later physical activity behavior.

The relationship between affective responses to exercise and future physical activity behavior was further clarified in a systematic review by Rhodes and Kates (2015). The authors showed that the prevailing evidence suggested affective responses during exercise were related to future physical activity, while affective responses measured following exercise were not (this line of research is also discussed in Chapter 11 by Jones & Zenko, 2021). Taken together, the most recent evidence suggests that practitioners should be skilled in measuring affective responses during exercise so that they are better able to help their clients or patients discover exercises that are pleasant. Having these skills will also allow the exercise professional to monitor affective responses and adjust programming if a client or patient is experiencing displeasure and, consequently, at increased risk of dropping out.