Nowadays, many people choose to continue working in their spare time because of much pressure from supporting their families. However, a study shows that instead of spending your spare time at work in hopes of getting a raise, maybe you should go to the gym. That’s because it could make you happy just like the money you made during this time. A new interesting study in The Lancet found that people who enjoy doing exercise have a greater sense of happiness than those who don’t.
Researchers from Oxford and Yale Universities used data collected from more than 1.2 million Americans. They were asked, “How many times have you felt uncomfortable because of mental problems in the past 30 days?” They were also asked about their exercise habits and were able to choose from 75 kinds of activities, including doing housework and childcare, running, weightlifting, and cycling.
The researchers found that the people who exercise regularly feel bad for an average of 35 days per year while the people doing little exercise feel bad for an additional 18 days. From the study, people who exercised had 43 percent fewer days of poor mental health in the past month than people who did not exercise. All exercise types can lead to a lower mental health burden (负担).
Social activities for exercising like team sports had an even more positive effect, although cycling was the most popular. Perhaps that’s because it takes place outdoors, which is always a way for people to get rid of stress.
It is possible to get too much exercise. Business Insider’s write-up on the study said, “The mental health of those people who exercised for longer than three hours a day suffered more than that of those who didn’t exercise.” The right amount seems to be three to five times per week, lasting 30 to 60 minutes each. The key point should be that any amount helps, so don’t force yourself to hit that perfect balance. All exercise types result in a lower mental health burden than not exercising.
【小题1】From Paragraph 2 we can learn ________.| A．what the study found | B．when the study started |
| C．how the study was conducted | D．why the study was carried out |
| A．To warn people of the harm of exercise. |
| B．To recommend a website for exercise. |
| C．To show the proper amount of exercise. |
| D．To show people a special opinion on exercise. |
| A．The best way for people to remain active. |
| B．The activities that are good for people’s health. |
| C．The commonest mental problems among people. |
| D．The relationship between exercise and mental health. |
