• Active, Outdoor Teens Are Happier Teens: Study
    184 replies, posted
[URL]http://news.health.com/2012/06/22/active-outdoor-teens-are-happier-teens-study/[/URL] [QUOTE]FRIDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) — Teens who engaged in more moderate-to-vigorous outdoor activity reported better health and social functioning than their peers who spent hours in front of television and computer screens, a new study in Australia has found. The teens who had the highest perceived health in the study spent an average of 2.5 hours more per day playing sports or doing other high-intensity activity than their least-active counterparts, according to the researchers. The research, done at the University of Sydney, found that youths in the study overall spent an average of 3.3 hours a day playing video games, watching television or doing other sedentary activities, compared with only 2.1 hours in physical activity. The findings suggest that parents need to limit how much time their children spend using electronic media, the lead author said. “Parents should be conscious of the fact that outdoor physical activity is beneficial to their child’s overall health and well-being, and should try to limit the time their child spends in front of the screen,” said Bamini Gopinath, a senior research fellow at the university’s Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research. Although no causal link was established, the study provides “another piece of evidence” that increasing physical activity and decreasing screen time “would be beneficial” to teens, said Gopinath, adding that “the impact of activity behaviors persists over the long term.” [B]The study, published in the July issue of [I]Pediatrics[/I], was conducted from 2004 to 2009.[/B] Study questionnaires asked how much time 1,216 teens spent on outdoor exercise compared to indoor activities including computer use for recreation and homework. Other sedentary activities such as reading were included. The data were collected at age 12, and again five years later. At that time, another group of 475 teenagers was recruited from the same schools in the Sydney area. Both groups responded to items about their health and general well-being. The questionnaire included 23 items about the teens’ health and physical functioning, as well as self-esteem, peer relationships and school. Not surprisingly, more time spent reading and doing homework was associated with better school performance. The more-active teens had significantly better scores relating to social functioning, or getting along with peers. Teens “who rarely exercised” were more likely to report “feelings of loneliness and shyness.” “Improved understanding of these relationships could help in developing interventions to promote general well-being among adolescents,” the study authors concluded. Another expert said he wasn’t surprised by the findings. “It makes sense that these kids who are getting outside, playing sports and running around are going to feel better than those kids who are sitting alone with a screen,” said Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital. He cautioned against “over-interpreting” the results because other factors not looked at in the study “may have more influence.” For example, he noted that the study did not show whether some teens avoided outdoor sports because they were less healthy to begin with. But the findings are “worth paying attention to,” Rich said. It also makes sense that kids who spend their time “running around in the fresh air” and playing sports are going to be “not only physically healthier, but socially healthier because they’re learning to work things through with other teens,” he said. The study gave “more objective data that supports what your mom always said, which is ‘go outside and play,’ proving mom was right,” Rich added. [/QUOTE] That explains Facepunch's general feel of pessimism.
It's scary out there.
butbutbut I like it inside... :(
People who are fit, spend more time outdoors, and socialize face to face are happier. Shouldn't that be pretty obvious?
What this doesn't talk about is if the teens are spending more time inside because they already feel worse, much less about the kids who stay inside because they don't [I]feel[/I] like going outside.
There's nothing to do outside.
You mean, people who enjoy being outside will be happier when outside? Shocking. These studies always make me a little irritated, like when as a child my parents would usher me out the house for an hour or two for no real reason other than my preferred activities made them a uneasy. [editline]23rd June 2012[/editline] [quote=The Article]The more-active teens had significantly better scores relating to social functioning, or getting along with peers. Teens “who rarely exercised” were more likely to report “feelings of loneliness and shyness.”[/quote] I feel sorry for these people, I really do. I'm probably just as reclusive as them, if not more so; but I enjoy it. It would really suck to really want to socialize, but feel totally unable to do so because of anxiety.
[QUOTE=shrinkme;36448364]There's nothing to do outside.[/QUOTE] From what I've been able to gather, one does some of these activities outside while socializing: - Smoking - Drinking - Talking with people of lesser intelligence. I really don't like doing any of those 3.
[QUOTE=nikomo;36448568]From what I've been able to gather, one does some of these activities outside while socializing: - Smoking - Drinking [B]- Talking with people of lesser intelligence.[/B] I really don't like doing any of those 3.[/QUOTE] ...or maybe this kind of thinking keeps people from talking to you
[QUOTE=nikomo;36448568]From what I've been able to gather, one does some of these activities outside while socializing: - Smoking - Drinking - Talking with people of lesser intelligence. I really don't like doing any of those 3.[/QUOTE] Yeah man fucking hate going outside and talking to people because the only things they can do is smoke and drink
[QUOTE=nikomo;36448568]From what I've been able to gather, one does some of these activities outside while socializing: - Smoking - Drinking - Talking with people of lesser intelligence. I really don't like doing any of those 3.[/QUOTE] lmao
[QUOTE=nikomo;36448568]From what I've been able to gather, one does some of these activities outside while socializing: - Smoking - Drinking - Talking with people of lesser intelligence. I really don't like doing any of those 3.[/QUOTE] aspergers detected
Maybe I'll bring my laptop outside to play TF2 then
I just went for a run for the first time in forever. I feel happy.
[QUOTE=nikomo;36448568]From what I've been able to gather, one does some of these activities outside while socializing: - Smoking - Drinking - Talking with people of lesser intelligence. I really don't like doing any of those 3.[/QUOTE] hahaha did you really just post this? me thinks nikomo is going to claim it was satire or trolling
[QUOTE=Jetblack357;36448762]I just went for a run for the first time in forever. I feel happy.[/QUOTE] It's a pain when you're doing it, but you tend to get this weird feeling of satisfaction after a good run.
[QUOTE=Psychokitten;36448905]It's a pain when you're doing it, but you tend to get this weird feeling of satisfaction after a good run.[/QUOTE] Endorphins are pretty cool.
[QUOTE=Psychokitten;36448905]It's a pain when you're doing it, but you tend to get this weird feeling of satisfaction after a good run.[/QUOTE] After I run I wheeze and feel like dying I'm much happier inside than out
This is why I don't like summer break. All my friends from college are from across the country and my home right now is in the middle of nowhere and takes half an hour to get to anything fun.
[QUOTE=Marbalo;36448626]I dont know if you're being serious or not, but I know a few people who actually believe this and I could not hate them any more even if I wanted to. It's not even [I]hate [/I]hate, but more like holy-shit-you-are-pathetic-i-feel-sorry-for-you hate. Which is actually pity. The point I am trying to make here is that you should kill yourself.[/QUOTE] For me it's just generally hilarious, great people to laugh at
I got beat up outside.
[QUOTE=Psychokitten;36448905]It's a pain when you're doing it, but you tend to get this weird feeling of satisfaction after a good run.[/QUOTE] Yeah, and honestly, im starting to get burnt out on staying inside all the time. [editline]22nd June 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=FreakySoup;36448937]After I run I wheeze and feel like dying I'm much happier inside than out[/QUOTE] You should probably exercise more then. It really does feel nice after you're done. Especially the part where you sit down.
This is like that time when money was spent finding out if prayer helps or not. Shouldn't this also be pretty obvious?
fucking elitist pricks thinking outside is happier, fuck you
I would go outside and be happy... if I had friends to do that with :(
There is more to do inside than outside. This wasn't the case many years ago and that is why many parents make their kids go outside.
WOW REALLY??!?!?!?! I NEVER KNEW
[QUOTE=FreakySoup;36448937]After I run I wheeze and feel like dying I'm much happier inside than out[/QUOTE] Do it once every two days then. It gets a lot easier after the first week.
School is all I need to get my daily dose of social interaction. Even then I hear the most stupidest things. Edit: honestly, if I want to talk to people I will either go onto teamspeak or mumble.
I used to not go outside very much, but nowadays I'm trying to go on walks in the evening/morning more often. Sometimes it's kind of hard to get in the habit of being active when you are a kid, due to physical conditions, etcetera. I mean, it's hard to be active when it often hurts to walk, which happened in my case when I was younger (and still does today to a lesser extent.)
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