You may be surprised to hear that exercise is probably more effective in treating depression than antidepressant medications. If so, that’s likely because pharmaceutical companies spend millions every year to tell you their antidepressants are effective. The marketing budget for exercise as a treatment for depression is considerably less.  

Movement—along with sleep and a healthy diet—is probably the best way to keep your brain healthy. Nearly all movement helps. In my favorite exercise study on treating depression in youth, preteens and teens who were depressed had a 100% response to cardio (including Jazzercise and Wii) and a 67% response with just stretching. Exercise does so many good things for the brain that it’s hard to track. Also, other than sweat, thirst, and sore muscles, exercise has no real negative side effects—which isn’t the case for medications.  

In conclusion, the researchers wrote:  

“Compared to antidepressant medication treatment with adolescents, exercise resulted in (a) a faster response rate, (b) a better response rate, (c) fewer relapses (n = 0) at six and 12 month follow-ups, and (d) no side effects or adverse events” (Hughes et al., 2013). One caveat, at the beginning of the study, none of the participants were exercising.  

But who were these researchers? Were they anti-drug researchers with an axe to grind? 

Nope, and this is my favorite part. The researchers were prestigious academics who mostly do pharmaceutical research. One of them was the guy responsible for the clinical studies that led to FDA approval of Prozac for treating youth with depression. The two biggest names on the study have repeatedly been funded by Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and more. 

All this leads me to this week’s #MHPHappinessChallenge assignment.  

Find your preferred way to move, pair it with your favorite music, and do what the researchers in the Hughes (2013) study did to treat depression. I call this “Dance it off,” because dancing—alone or together—is a fabulous way to make the time fly by while you give your brain a dose of what it’s craving.  

But you don’t have to dance. You can walk, run, skip, or do yoga. You can jump rope, do Wii or Jazzercize, kickbox, or just jiggle your body in the kitchen while you’re cooking. If you ride the elevator, take the stairs. If you’re in a chair, dance with whatever parts of your body that will move. Of course, don’t do anything that’s so excessive that you might hurt yourself. 

I’m sure you get the point.  

And then, if you feel something-maybe a high or a fun new thought or anything that kicks your mood up a notch, savor it, linger, and then share it with us.  

As always, thanks for participating in the Montana Happiness Challenge. Let’s dance it off together this week.

#MHPHappinessChallenge

#MontanaHappiness  

https://www.youtube.com/@montanahappinessproject333 

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/97180580/admin/feed/posts/ 

https://johnsommersflanagan.com/  

https://www.tiktok.com/@montana.happiness

Also remember, use the hashtags #MHPHappinessChallenge, #MontanaHappiness, and like, share, repost, and support others for their sharing. 

Dr. John Sommers-Flanagan, University of Montana