Sports Central

The Effect of Sports on Young People’s Psychological Well-Being

Psychological wellbeing is seen as having the ability to adapt to situations and employ emotions and strategies, whose effectiveness depends on the individual’s physical, social, and mental wellbeing. It refers to the enhancement of one’s character through the development and improvement of personal capacities and skills to face challenges.

The Intrinsic Relationship Between Sports and Psychological Wellbeing

Over the last two decades, the relationship between sports and psychological wellbeing has attracted the attention of the scientific community. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a direct relationship exists between both variables. In addition, all types of physical-sports activities have been identified as nurturing positive psychological wellbeing regardless of the environment they are performed in. Performing physical sport activities is shown to have prolonged benefits associated with high levels of satisfaction, quality of life and happiness. Performing physical activity through frequent and regular sports programs or independent activities, is related to improvements not only in wellbeing but also in mental health, memory, self-esteem, optimism, coping with stress, keeping emotions in control and mental flexibility. Physical activity is the most popular of all the activities young people dedicate their leisure time to. It is a practice that young people link to perceptions of self-determination and high levels of satisfaction. Sports is seen as a positive aspect in their lives, owing to its potential to promote values linked to their psychological wellbeing. Participations in sport activities especially in team sports or competitive individual sports, is very popular among the youth, as it has reported high development in social skills, confidence, and overall fitness.

In Conclusion…

To conclude, numerous studies confirm that active participation in sporting activities improves psychological wellbeing, especially in areas related to managing emotions. Positive correlations were found between the frequency of physical activity and psychological wellbeing in both adolescent males and females. Practicing sports leads to benefits such as the promotion of values including teamwork, cooperation, interpersonal relations, motivation, and managing emotions which enables young people to acquire better life skills.