Men and women choose moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviors with a “hot” mind rather than a “cold” one

Abstract

Background

The primary aim of our study is to explore how moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA), vigorous-intensity physical activity (VPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary behavior (SB) in men and women (ages 18–74; 4545 females and 1824 males) are associated with age, education, psychological factors (cognitive reflection/”cold” mind, emotional intelligence (E), impulsivity, perceived stress), health behaviors (overeating, breakfast consumption, smoking, alcohol use), body mass index (BMI), and sleep duration.

Methods

The information was collected by means of an online survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/) to ensure the anonymity of participation and confidentiality of data.

Results

MVPA and SB in men and women are significantly influenced by education, age, BMI, lifestyle, and psychological factors, with some gender differences. Higher education reduces MVPA and increases SB, while age lowers SB and raises MVPA in women. BMI inversely affects MVPA and VPA, and breakfast supports higher activity levels, while overeating and alcohol (in men) are linked to lower MVPA and higher SB. Sleep duration weakly affects activity structure but inversely relates to SB. While Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) scores—an indicator of logical reasoning—do not show a significant positive impact on physical activity levels (MPA, VPA, or MVPA) in either gender, they are associated with increased sedentary behavior in women. Emotional Intelligence (EI), however, plays a clear and positive role: higher EI is strongly associated with increased VPA and MVPA in both men and women, especially in women, and inversely related to SB in both genders.

Conclusions

The results of our study suggest that enhancing EI (“hot” mind) may be more effective than reasoning skills (“cold” mind) in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior, particularly in women. These findings highlight EI’s potential as a key driver of active lifestyles, while logical reasoning appears to have a lesser impact.