Why do some people love intense workouts while others prefer a peaceful walk or a relaxed cycling session? Why does a challenging exercise class leave one person feeling energised while another finds it exhausting or unpleasant?
The answer may involve more than physical fitness. Your personality could also affect the types of exercise you enjoy and how you respond emotionally to physical activity.
A 2025 study from University College London (UCL), published in Frontiers in Psychology, investigated how personality traits relate to exercise preferences, physical fitness, and stress reduction.
The researchers found that certain personality characteristics were associated with greater enjoyment of particular exercise intensities. They also observed that participants with higher levels of neuroticism—a personality trait associated with a greater tendency to experience negative emotions—reported particularly considerable reductions in perceived stress after a structured exercise program.
The results offer a promising perspective on personalised fitness. Rather than expecting everyone to follow identical workout routines, researchers are beginning to explore whether understanding individual differences could help make exercise more pleasant and sustainable.
However, personality does not determine what someone can or cannot do. The findings describe patterns detected in a relatively small study, not universal rules.
What Is the Connection Between Personality and Exercise?
Personality refers to relatively stable patterns in how people think, feel, and behave.
Psychologists frequently describe personality using the Big Five model, which includes five broad dimensions:
- Extraversion: Sociability, energy, enthusiasm, and a inclination to seek stimulation.
- Conscientiousness: Organisation, responsibility, persistence, and self-discipline.
- Openness to experience: Curiosity, creativity, and openness to explore unfamiliar experiences.
- Agreeableness: Cooperation, consideration, and concern for others.
- Neuroticism: A tendency to experience stress, worry, and other negative emotions more readily.
These characteristics may influence motivation, preferred environments, responses to physical challenges, and everyday habits.
For example, someone who enjoys stimulation might find fast-paced exercise rewarding. Another person may prefer predictable routines that fit comfortably into a daily schedule.
Importantly, these are possibilities, not fixed personality-based prescriptions.
The UCL researchers wanted to examine whether measurable relationships existed between personality traits and exercise-related outcomes.
Inside the 2025 University College London Study
The research, titled Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training program, was published on July 8, 2025.
Flaminia Ronca, Benjamin Tari, Cian Xu, and Paul W. Burgess conducted the study and are affiliated with University College London.
Original research: Read the full study in Frontiers in Psychology
How Was the Study Conducted?
The researchers recruited adults from the general public to investigate relationships between personality, physical fitness, workout enjoyment, and participation in an exercise program.
A total of 132 participants completed the initial laboratory assessment.
Participants underwent assessments that included:
- Questionnaires measuring Big Five personality traits.
- Self-reported physical activity habits.
- Measures of perceived stress.
- Cardiovascular fitness testing.
- Strength and endurance assessments.
- Ratings of enjoyment following different exercise sessions.
The research also included an eight-week home-based exercise intervention, combining cycling and strength training, alongside a resting control group.
By assessing participants before and after the intervention, the researchers explored whether personality was associated with changes in fitness and perceived stress.
The study combined laboratory measurements with self-reported experiences, permitting researchers to examine both physical performance and mental responses.
Main Finding 1: Extraverted People Often Enjoyed High-Intensity Exercise
One of the clearest findings concerned extraversion.
Participants who scored higher in extraversion tended to report greater enjoyment of the most intense exercise sessions, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and maximal cycling fitness tests.
HIIT typically alternates short periods of demanding physical activity with recovery intervals.
Examples include:
- Short bursts of fast cycling followed by slower pedalling.
- Alternating challenging and easier intervals during a workout.
- Structured aerobic sessions that vary intensity.
Why might extraversion matter?
One possible explanation is that people higher in extraversion often enjoy stimulating experiences. Intense exercise may provide the physical and psychological stimulation they find rewarding.
The researchers also found associations between higher extraversion scores and certain measures of cardiovascular fitness, including peak oxygen uptake.
However, the study did not establish that being extraverted causes better fitness or that extraverts automatically benefit more from HIIT.
What this means: If you enjoy energetic, demanding exercise, structured interval training may be worth exploring, as long as it fits your health and fitness level.
Main Finding 2: Conscientiousness Was Associated With Greater Physical Activity
Conscientiousness was another important personality characteristic in the study.
Participants with higher conscientiousness scores tended to report more weekly physical activity and demonstrate better performance on several baseline fitness measurements.
These included measures related to muscular endurance and body composition.
Conscientious people are often described as organised, consistent, and goal-driven. Such characteristics may make it easier to maintain exercise habits.
For example, someone who enjoys planning might benefit from scheduling workouts in advance and recording progress.
Possible strategies include:
- Establishing regular workout times.
- Creating achievable weekly goals.
- Recording exercise sessions.
- Following a progressive strength-training plan.
- Reviewing progress without becoming excessively focused on performance.
Interestingly, conscientiousness did not reliably predict better adherence to the study’s exercise intervention or greater improvements in all fitness outcomes.
Therefore, the evidence supports an association with existing activity habits, rather than proving that conscientious people respond better to training. Main Finding 3: Neuroticism Influenced Exercise Enjoyment and Stress Relief
Perhaps the most interesting findings involved neuroticism.
In personality research, neuroticism describes a greater tendency to experience emotional distress, anxiety, worry, or negative feelings.
It is a normal personality dimension, not a mental health diagnosis.
The study found that individuals scoring higher in neuroticism generally reported less enjoyment of certain laboratory-based exercise sessions and activities requiring sustained physical effort.
Researchers suggested that the surrounding environment could matter.
For example, exercising under observation in a laboratory may feel different from completing a comfortable workout privately at home.
This raises the possibility that some individuals might benefit from exercise environments offering greater privacy, flexibility, or control.
Did Exercise Reduce Stress More in These Participants?
The most notable psychological finding came from the eight-week intervention.
Participants with higher neuroticism scores in the exercise group reported greater reductions in perceived stress.
The relationship between neuroticism and stress change was statistically significant in the intervention group.
This suggests that people who are more sensitive to stress may sometimes experience meaningful psychological benefits from regular physical exercise.
Nevertheless, the result should be interpreted carefully.
The researchers measured self-reported perceived stress, rather than showing a treatment effect on a diagnosed anxiety disorder.
The findings do not establish that exercise will eliminate anxiety, depression, or chronic stress.
They also do not prove that neuroticism can reliably identify who will benefit most from exercise in the wider population.
The practical message: People who frequently experience stress may find regular, manageable physical activity beneficial, even when they do not particularly enjoy demanding workouts.
Key Main Finding: Openness and Agreeableness Showed More Specific Relationships
The study also examined openness to experience and agreeableness.
Participants scoring higher in openness reported lower enjoyment of certain strenuous cycling activities, including threshold and high-intensity sessions.
Meanwhile, higher agreeableness was associated with greater enjoyment of an easier, longer cycling session.
This evidence suggests that personality and exercise enjoyment may be connected in more complicated ways than simply dividing people into those who prefer intense or gentle activities.
However, the results do not establish that people high in openness dislike all strenuous exercise or that agreeable individuals should choose only low-intensity workouts.
A person’s training history, physical health, confidence, interests, and environment may all influence exercise preferences.
Can Your Personality Help You Choose the Right Workout?
The evidence shows that personality could become one consideration when designing more individualised exercise programs.
However, the study did not clinically validate a personality-based fitness prescription.
The following table presents practical ideas for exploring workout preferences. These are suggestions informed by the research, not scientifically established rules for each personality type.
| Personality characteristic | Exercise approach worth exploring |
| Higher extraversion | Interval training, energetic cycling, or stimulating workouts |
| Higher conscientiousness | Scheduled routines, progressive strength training, or goal tracking |
| Higher openness | Variety, new activities, or changing exercise environments |
| Higher agreeableness | Comfortable-paced activities or cooperative exercise settings |
| Higher neuroticism | Flexible home workouts, private sessions, or manageable aerobic activity |
For example, someone who enjoys structure may prefer exercising at the same time every morning.
Someone who dislikes highly competitive exercise environments might find walking, swimming, cycling, or home workouts more appealing.
The most important factor is not a personality label. It is finding a form of movement that is safe, enjoyable, and realistic enough to repeat.
Why Exercise Enjoyment Matters for Long-Term Fitness
Starting an exercise routine is one challenge. Maintaining it over time is another.
When physical activity feels unpleasant, intimidating, or incompatible with everyday life, it can be hard to keep going.
Personal enjoyment can make exercise easier to fit into a regular schedule.
This does not mean every workout must feel effortless or entertaining. Some challenge can help improve physical fitness.
Instead, it means that people may benefit from choosing activities and environments they are willing to return to.
A person who enjoys walking consistently may benefit more from a sustainable walking routine than from an intense program they quickly abandon.
Similarly, someone who genuinely enjoys vigorous exercise may find appropriately designed interval training motivating.
Ultimately, a successful exercise program should balance enjoyment, progression, safety, and individual goals.
How Much Exercise Do You Actually Need?
Personality-based preferences should complement established physical activity recommendations, not replace them.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), adults should aim for:
- 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or
- 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, or
- An equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activity.
Adults are also advised to perform muscle-strengthening activities involving major muscle groups on at least two days per week.
Moderate activities may include brisk walking or comfortable cycling, while vigorous activities can include running or demanding cycling, depending on the person’s fitness level.
People who are currently inactive can begin with smaller amounts and increase gradually.
The WHO emphasises that some activity is better than none.
Official guidance: WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour
Five Practical Ways to Personalise Your Exercise Routine
1. Identify Activities You Actually Enjoy
Consider the types of movement that make you feel comfortable and motivated.
Do you prefer individual workouts or exercising with others? Do you enjoy short, demanding sessions or longer activities at a manageable pace?
Your answers may be more useful right away than a personality questionnaire.
2. Choose an Appropriate Intensity
You don’t need the most intense workout to get health benefits.
Choose a level that fits your current fitness, health, and experience.
If you are new to exercise, walking and other manageable activities may be suitable starting points.
3. Experiment With Your Exercise Environment
Some people enjoy busy fitness centres, while others prefer quieter locations or exercising at home.
Try different settings and observe which ones make you more comfortable.
The UCL findings show exercise environments may influence enjoyment, particularly for people who are more sensitive to stress.
4. Track Enjoyment Alongside Fitness Progress
Instead of recording only steps, workout duration, or repetitions, consider how you feel during and after exercising.
You might rate each session on a simple enjoyment scale from 1 to 10.
Over several weeks, patterns may emerge that help you identify activities you are more likely to maintain.
5. Adjust Your Routine When Necessary
Your exercise preferences are not fixed.
Fitness, confidence, lifestyle, health, and interests can change.
An activity that feels intimidating today may become enjoyable after gradual practice.
Remain flexible and avoid assuming your personality restricts your exercise options.
What Are the Limitations of the Study?
Although the UCL research provides interesting insights, several limitations are important to note.
First, the sample was relatively small. Only 132 participants completed the initial laboratory assessment, and fewer participants contributed data to particular analyses.
Second, the participants were not necessarily representative of the wider population. The researchers reported that volunteers were disproportionately high in characteristics such as openness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.
Third, personality was assessed through a brief questionnaire. Such tools can be useful in research but cannot capture every aspect of someone’s personality.
Fourth, previous sports participation was not fully accounted for; existing exercise habits affect both fitness and enjoyment.
Fifth, the intervention lasted eight weeks. This was not long enough to establish whether personality-matched routines improve exercise participation over years.
Finally, many findings were correlational. An observed relationship between personality and exercise enjoyment does not mean personality directly causes that preference.
The researchers also cautioned against assuming that personality determines the magnitude of physical fitness improvements.
The results are best viewed as early evidence supporting further research into personalised exercise approaches.
Could Personality-Based Fitness Become More Common?
The findings may affect fitness coaching, health promotion, and exercise program design.
Future studies could investigate whether tailoring exercise intensity, environments, and motivational strategies to personal preferences improves adherence.
Researchers may also explore whether personalised exercise programs produce meaningful benefits across age groups, health conditions, and fitness levels.
However, larger and longer randomised studies are needed before personality assessments can be considered dependable tools for prescribing specific exercise routines.
For now, the most useful approach is to combine evidence-based physical activity recommendations with individual choices and circumstances.
Conclusion: The Best Exercise Routine Is One That Works for You
The relationship between personality and exercise offers an interesting perspective on why different people experience the same workout differently.
The 2025 University College London study found that extraversion was associated with greater enjoyment of intense exercise, conscientiousness with several measures of existing physical activity and fitness, and higher neuroticism with greater reported stress reduction following an eight-week training program.
These data suggest that individual differences may deserve more attention when designing exercise programs.
Nevertheless, they do not justify rigid personality-based workout rules.
The central takeaway is simple: You do not need to force yourself into someone else’s ideal fitness routine.
Whether you prefer walking, cycling, strength training, or more demanding workouts, choosing safe and sustainable activities you enjoy may help you build a healthier relationship with exercise.
References
1. Original scientific study
Ronca, F., Tari, B., Xu, C., & Burgess, P. W. (2025). Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training program. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1587472.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1587472
2. Published correction
Ronca, F., Tari, B., Xu, C., & Burgess, P. W. (2025). Correction: Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training program. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1663653.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1663653
3. World Health Organisation
WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK566046
4. UK Chief Medical Officers
Physical Activity Guidelines.