Exercisers’ Experience of Belongingness, Personal Growth, and Mental Health Benefits in a Virtual Exercise Program

Abstract

Forming relationships and bonds with others is a fundamental motivation for the human species. Scholarly research has found that a strong sense of belongingness is related to improved mental health, increasing the need to understand better ways to strengthen social bonds. People seek connection with others in various spaces and environments, including within the world of exercise and fitness. Technology enhances social prospects by negating the need for physical proximity and enhancing opportunities to connect with others. Yet despite these benefits, loneliness and social isolation are on the rise. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated sensations of loneliness as mitigating efforts forced social isolation. The popular press has documented the increase in popularity of in-home interactive exercise equipment in response to the social isolation of the pandemic. Enthusiastic posts on message boards and social media threads about Peloton’s classes and instructors signaled the possibility of a more profound psychological appeal beyond simply wanting to work out. Using Peloton as an example due to its high public profile and popularity, this study examines regular users’ experience of social connectedness in immersive media exercise classes and the relationship between the sensations and perceptions of belongingness, personal growth, and well-being attributed to the exercise experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), social isolation should increase the demand for social connection to improve well-being, even in the context of physical fitness. SDT is a well-established theoretical framework to assess the motivational drivers behind exercise behavior, positing that people are motivated to satisfy three basic needs — autonomy, competence, and relatedness — to increase well-being. Results indicate that the virtual exercise program effectively generates sensations of social bonds through the class content. Belonging to a positive, mediated community correlates with improved mental health and positive growth.