Science Says It Might Just Be Your Personality to Hate Exercise

Researchers found that traits like extroversion and neuroticism predict not just which exercises people prefer, but also how likely they are to stick with them—and even how much stress relief they get. Matching your workouts to your psychological profile could be the missing piece in building a consistent and enjoyable fitness routine, the journal Frontiers in Psychology reported.

Staying consistent with exercise and enjoying its long-term benefits might come down to something surprisingly simple: choosing activities you genuinely like, according to researchers from UCL.

While earlier studies have shown that people involved in different sports often have different personality traits, it has been less clear how these traits relate to the types of exercise people actually enjoy.

The new research, featured in Frontiers in Psychology, set out to explore whether certain personality characteristics influence how much people enjoy specific forms of physical activity. It also looked at whether participants stuck with a set workout plan and how their fitness levels changed as a result.

The findings revealed notable patterns. For example, people with extroverted personalities were more likely to enjoy high-intensity workouts. Meanwhile, individuals who scored high in neuroticism (a trait linked with frequent worry) tended to prefer short, intense sessions over longer, sustained efforts.

Dr. Flaminia Ronca, first author of the study from UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH), said: “We know that the global population is becoming increasingly sedentary. You often hear about people trying to become more active, but struggling to make lasting changes. In this study, we wanted to understand how personality can influence this to support the development of effective interventions for changes in health behavior.

“We found some clear links between personality traits and the type of exercise the participants enjoyed most, which I think is important because we could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual – and hopefully help them to become and remain more active.”

For the study, the team assessed 132 volunteers from the general public with a range of fitness levels and backgrounds, who were assigned either to an eight-week cycling and strength training program (intervention group), or to a resting control group.

Participants’ benchmark fitness levels were assessed at the beginning of the program. Strength was tested via press ups, performing a plank to failure, and countermovement jumps (jumping again immediately after landing). This was followed by a low intensity cycling session for 30 minutes, and then a cycling test to measure their peak oxygen capacity (V̇O2 max test) after a short rest.

The team also assessed their perceived stress levels on a scale of one to 10, as well as their personality traits using the Big 5 model, a common personality test in the field of sport and exercise psychology. The Big 5 model groups individuals according to whether their dominant trait is extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism or openness.

During the exercise program, participants were asked to rate their enjoyment of each exercise session, before having their fitness level tested again once the program had been completed.

Of the 132 starters, 86 people completed the intervention and all of these participants got fitter and stronger regardless of personality.

While not all personality traits had a link to exercise enjoyment, several connections were uncovered by the study.

Extroverts tended to particularly enjoy high intensity exercise, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT) and a fitness test of maximum intensity cycling.

Those with a strong neuroticism trait engaged well with the exercise intervention, but preferred bursts of intensity rather than prolonged intensity. They also preferred not being monitored, such as not recording their heart rate while undertaking the program, suggesting that these individuals might appreciate being given space for independence and privacy when engaging in exercise.

Those who were conscientious tended to have a well-rounded fitness level, meaning that they tended to score more highly on aerobic fitness as well as core strength, and were generally more physically active. However, conscientiousness didn’t predict higher enjoyment of a specific form of exercise. The authors say this might be because conscientious individuals tend to be driven by the health-related outcomes of engaging in physical activity rather than enjoyment, suggesting that adherence to the program may be less about enjoyment than because it was ‘good for them’.

At the beginning of the study, the stress levels of the intervention group and the control group were similar. However, the only group to experience a significant reduction in stress levels after exercising were those who scored highly in the neuroticism trait.

Professor Paul Burgess, an author of the study from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said: “We found that people who scored more highly in the neuroticism personality trait showed a particularly strong reduction in stress when they undertook the fitness training recommended in the study. This suggests that there may be particular benefits in stress reduction for those with this trait.”

The researchers concluded that the most important thing people can do to improve their activity levels is to find something that they enjoy, which will make it more likely that they’ll stick with it.

The program consisted of:

Three weekly cycling sessions of varying intensity: a 60-minute light ride at an easy pace, a 30 min threshold ride at a moderate but sustainable effort, or a High Intensity Interval Training session where the level of exertion varied.

One weekly bodyweight strength session.

The five traits measured in The Big 5 model are:

Extroversion: how energetic, outgoing, and sociable an individual is, including how much they seek company and stimulation.

Agreeableness: Involves attributes related to cooperation, trust, compassion, and a considerate nature toward others.

Conscientiousness: Reflects traits like orderliness, reliability, and the drive to achieve goals through careful planning and persistence.

Neuroticism: Measures emotional stability and the tendency to experience negative emotions like anxiety, mood swings, or irritability.

Openness: Describes a person’s willingness to try new experiences, curiosity about the world, and imagination.

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