Quick answer: Yes, there’s a connection between sedentary behavior and mental health. Studies show excess sedentary behavior is associated with increased depression, anxiety, and stress. This article reviews evidence-based studies on the relationship between sedentary behavior and various mental health outcomes.
Key Points:
- Excess sedentary behavior is defined as spending more than 6 hours per day sitting or reclining during waking hours
- Between 2014 and 2020 sedentary behavior among U.S. adults decreased by an average of an hour per day
- Between 2020 and 2023, sedentary behavior among U.S. adults increased by an average of about ten minutes per day
Lifestyle and Mental Health: The Connection Between What You Do and How You Think and Feel
Eat a healthy diet, get 7-8 hours of sleep per night, get plenty of exercise and activity every day, maintain a robust network of social connections, and you’ll probably be healthy and happy. That’s what everyone says, from health scientists to old friends to neighbors you see on the street. They say it because, for the most part, they’re right: in the grand scheme of things, that’s an effective, winning formula.
But which part is the most important?
The real answer is that they’re all important, and their benefits combine to create a solid foundation for good physical and mental health. Each contributes in a specific and unique way, and deficits in any area can impact the others, and lead to a general reduction in overall health
In this article, we’ll discuss the impact of one of those components of good health – daily exercise/activity, or rather, the absence of sufficient daily activity, called sedentary behavior – with a focus on its effect on mental health and mental health related outcomes, such as wellbeing, quality of life, stress, and symptoms of mental health disorder such as anxiety and depression.
Sedentary Behavior and Mental Health: Are People Getting More or Less Active?
To add perspective to our discussion, we’ll share the results of a new study called “Trends in Sedentary Behavior Among US Adults,” which identified a clear research goal:
“This study analyzed national survey data to estimate the changes in sedentary time among US adults in 2013 to 2023.”
The team analyzed data from 28,145 adults, 20 years or older, average age of 48, roughly half female, collected from self-reported surveys on sedentary time. To determine average time spent in sedentary behavior, researchers asked participants how much time per day they spent sitting down in various situations:
- At school
- At home
- Getting to and from places
- With friends
This included time spent sitting:
- At a desk
- Traveling in a car or bus
- Reading
- Playing cards
- Watching television
- Using a computer
To determine changes in sedentary behavior over time, they divided data into three periods:
- 2013-2014
- 2017-2020
- 2021-2023
We’ll share the results in a moment. First, let’s learn more about the connection between sedentary behavior and health, and the connection between sedentary behavior and mental health.
Sedentary Behavior and Health: Facts and Figures
Let’s define what sedentary behavior is, according to experts. The authors of the study “Sedentary Behavior: Definition, Determinants, Impacts on Health, and Current Recommendations” indicate that sedentary behavior has two components: one related to posture, and one related to energy use. Based on these components, they define sedentary behavior as:
Waking time spent sitting or reclining and time spent in any behavior that requires low levels of energy expenditure.
In this context, scientists measure energy expenditure in metabolic equivalents, called METs. One MET is the energy we use when we’re awake, sitting down, at rest. It’s our basic waking metabolic rate. Here’s a breakdown of common behaviors in terms of METs, adapted from information here and here:
- Sedentary behavior: 1.0 – 1.5 METs
- Sitting, reclining: 1.3
- Light intensity: 1.6 – 2.9
- Standing: 1.8
- Slow walking: 2.0
- Washing dishes: 2.2
- Easy yoga: 2.5
- Moderate intensity: 3 – 5.9
- Housecleaning: 3.5
- Weight training, light weights: 3.5
- Golf: 4.3
- Quick walking: 5
- Weight training, heavy weights: 5
- Yard work, such a mowing/raking: 5
Note: easy swimming and easy jogging straddle the line between moderate and vigorous activity, using between 5.9 – 6.3 METs
- Vigorous intensity: 6 METs +:
- Fast walking: 6.3
- Cycling, no hills: 8
- Circuit training, e.g. CrossFit: 8
- Tennis: 8
- Yard work, such as digging ditches: 8.5
- Soccer: 10
- Running: 11.5
Now let’s look at how sedentary behavior can impact physical and mental health. The study “Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior-Specific Domains and Their Associations With Mental Health in Adults: A Systematic Review” shows prolonged sedentary behavior – defined as more than six hours per day, during waking hours – is associated with the following:
- All-cause mortality
- Cardiovascular disease
- Type II diabetes
- Abdominal obesity
- Various forms of cancer
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Low mood
- Stress
- Low sleep quality
That’s what sedentary behavior is, and according to the latest research, those are the negative outcomes of prolonged sedentary behavior. Now let’s look at research on the opposite of sedentary behavior: physical activity.
Does Increasing Physical Activity Improve Physical and Mental Health?
In the review article we introduce above – click here – researchers cite evidence that show increases in physical activity are associated with:
- Increased quality of life
- Improved mental health
- Reduced depressive symptoms
- Reduced anxiety symptoms
- Reduced state anxiety, i.e. situational anxiety
- Increased trait anxiety, i.e. general, persistent anxiety
- Improved psychological, emotional, social functioning
- Reduced psychological distress
- Decreased work stress
- Decreased overall stress
- Reduced perceived stress
In addition, studies show that decreases in sedentary behavior are associated with:
- Reduced anxiety symptoms
- Improved psychological quality of life
Studies also showed cycling to work improved quality of life more than taking public transportation to work or walking to work.
But why?
A study published in 2020 – Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks – offers the following explanation for the connection between sedentary behaviors and increased depression risk:
- Block direct communication/connection with others
- Lowering social interactions
- Reduces time spent in physical activity, which is a protective factor for depression
Another study offers this conclusion about the relationship between sedentary behavior and negative mental health outcomes:
“It is possible that the beneficial pathophysiological, social and general health effects of being active may be omitted when sedentary, which may have a negative impact on mental health.“
With all this information at hand – what sedentary behavior is, what the negative consequences are for physical and mental health, and how to counter its effects with physical activity – let’s circle all the way back to the study on sedentary behavior we discussed in the introduction to this article, and see whether current rates of sedentary behavior among U.S. adults put them at risk of negative physical and mental health outcomes.
Sedentary Behavior and Mental Health: How are We Doing?
We could be doing better.
Researchers examined time spent in sedentary behavior at three time points, and discovered data showing average sedentary time significantly decreased between the first two time points, but not between the second two:
- 2013-2014: 7.1 hours per day
- 2017-2020: 5.9 hours per day
- 2021-2023: 6.0 hours per day
With regards to sedentary behavior associated with significant negative physical mental health outcomes – i.e. prolonged sedentary behavior, over six hours per day – data showed the following:
- 2013-2014: 54.6% reported more than 6 hours of sedentary behavior per day
- 2017-2020: 35.5% reported more than 6 hours of sedentary behavior per day
- 2021-2023: 36.7% reported more than 6 hours of sedentary behavior per day
Researchers indicated these patterns were stable for most demographic groups, with two exceptions:
- Hispanic people showed lower prevalence of prolonged sedentary behavior
- People over age 65 showed lower prevalence of prolonged sedentary behavior
That’s what we mean when we say we could be doing better. The trend is positive – a thirty-three percent decrease over ten years – but that still leaves close to thirty-seven percent of the adult population with levels of sedentary behavior that increase their risk of serious physical problems and significant mental health issues.
In terms of mental health, that’s nearly 100 million people at elevated risk of depression, anxiety, stress, reduced quality of life, and reduced overall wellbeing. That’s not great news. However, on a positive note, evidence shows us exactly how we can counter the negative effects of sedentary behavior. Its simple: we increase our levels of daily physical activity, using guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
