Journal of Health Psychology· 2026Q2
Purpose in life and exercise task behaviors: Evidence from a 10-week running task in college students
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
College students with a higher sense of purpose in life completed a 10-week, 63km running task an average of 4.5 days faster than those with lower purpose (n=547).
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Key points
- Higher purpose in life (PIL) predicted shorter total running task completion time (63km over 10 weeks) by 4.5 days in 547 college students.
- PIL was also associated with more frequent early morning runs, though this finding was not robust.
- PIL showed no significant association with task initiation timing, percentage of distance in the final two weeks, or days from completion to deadline.
- The study used objective running data tracked via a mobile app and self-reported PIL.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This study examined associations between purpose in life (PIL) and objective indicators of exercise task completion patterns among college students. Participants were 547 college students (Mean age = 19.71, 42.23% female) required to complete 63 km within 10 weeks for course credit. Participants completed questionnaires assessing PIL and demographic characteristics before the running task began. Running data were tracked via a mobile app and five behavioral indicators were derived: days from task onset to initiation, days from completion to deadline, total completion time, percentage of distance in final 2 weeks, and frequency of early morning runs. Multiple regression analyses revealed that higher PIL significantly predicted shorter total completion time after controlling for gender, age, and BMI. PIL was also associated with more frequent early morning runs, although this association was not robust to alternative model specifications. However, PIL showed no significant associations with the remaining behavioral indicators.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Health Psychology, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Social Psychology
Social PsychologyPsychology