Espacios naturales, bienestar psicológico y satisfacción con la imagen corporal en corredores

Running in Natural Spaces: Gender Analysis of Its Relationship with Emotional Intelligence, Psychological Well-Being, and Physical Activity

“…On the other hand, women who run in natural spaces participate more in competitions, practice other physical exercise more frequently, and run more minutes per occasion; however, they also present lower emotional intelligence in the stress management dimension. These findings differ from those observed for male participants in a previous study on Mexican male and female runners [30], in which differences for well-being and body dissatisfaction were also expected to be found. It is especially interesting to observe the lower emotional intelligence in the stress management dimension in female outdoor runners, considering that physical activity is associated with higher emotional intelligence [17].…”

“…In men, it was found that those who run in natural spaces present greater psychological well-being, less body dissatisfaction, and greater emotional intelligence (intrapersonal and stress management), and they run more days and kilometers per week. These findings on psychological well-being and body dissatisfaction are similar to those from a previous study of Mexican male and female runners [30]. Although the relationship between emotional intelligence and physical activity was already known [18], this is the first study that shows a difference in emotional intelligence according to the type of space in which runners exercise.…”

“…In addition, those who ran frequently in natural spaces showed less body dissatisfaction and greater psychological well-being than those who ran infrequently in such spaces. A negative association was also found between psychological well-being and body dissatisfaction [30]. Although this study may provide some clues about what happens with runners, the associations were not made with distinctions according to sex and the space in which they exercised.…”