Is the light at the end of the tunnel bright? Associations between preference and tolerance of the intensity, basic psychological needs and behaviour in exercise context

Bernardo Viveiros; Raul Antunes; Miguel  Jacinto; Rui Matos; Nuno Amaro; Luís  Cid; Nuno Couto; Diogo Monteiro

doi:10.6063/motricidade.38467

Is the light at the end of the tunnel bright? Associations between preference and tolerance of the intensity, basic psychological needs and behaviour in exercise context

Authors

Bernardo Viveiros ESECS —Polytechnique of Leiria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8271-2591
Raul Antunes ESECS, Polytechnique of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal; CIDESD, Research Center in Sport, Health, and Human Development, Covilhã, Portugal
Miguel Jacinto University of Coimbra – Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, 3040-248 Coimbra, Portugal; Life Quality Research Centre (CIEQV), 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal; ESECS—Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1727-3537
Rui Matos ESECS, Polytechnique of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal; CIDESD, Research Center in Sport, Health, and Human Development, Covilhã, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2034-0585
Nuno Amaro ESECS, Polytechnique of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal; CIDESD, Research Center in Sport, Health, and Human Development, Covilhã, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8160-8007
Luís Cid School of Sports of Rio Maior, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Portugal; CIDESD, Research Center in Sport, Health, and Human Development, Covilhã, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8156-3291
Nuno Couto School of Sports of Rio Maior, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Portugal; CIDESD, Research Center in Sport, Health, and Human Development, Covilhã, Portugal
Diogo Monteiro ESECS, Polytechnique of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal; CIDESD, Research Center in Sport, Health, and Human Development, Covilhã, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7179-6814

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6063/motricidade.38467

Keywords:

preference, tolerance, psychological needs, physical exercise, behaviour

Abstract

In recent years, sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity have seen an evident increase. Many individuals who embark on an exercise regimen end up leaving it within the first three to six months, often citing barriers such as a lack of time or motivation. Research shows that the pleasure and enjoyment derived from exercise play a crucial role in preventing people from giving up. This suggests that theories related to the emotional aspects of exercise, including an individual’s exercise intensity preference and tolerance, should be integrated into broader motivation theories such as Self-Determination Theory (SDT). This chapter aims to provide a theoretical framework for these theories, emphasised by empirical evidence and proposes potential avenues for future research.

Downloads

Published

2025-07-19

How to Cite

Viveiros, B., Antunes, R., Jacinto, M. ., Matos, R., Amaro, N., Cid, L. ., … Monteiro, D. (2025). Is the light at the end of the tunnel bright? Associations between preference and tolerance of the intensity, basic psychological needs and behaviour in exercise context. Motricidade, 21, e38467. https://doi.org/10.6063/motricidade.38467

Download Citation

Issue

Vol. 21 (2025): Motricidade

Section

Review Article

License

Authors retain copyright of their work.

Upon acceptance for publication, authors grant Sílabas Didáticas, LDA a non-exclusive licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, communicate the article to the public, and identify itself as the original publisher of the article in print and electronic formats, including its indexing and dissemination through databases, repositories, and other scholarly platforms.

All published articles are made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC 4.0).

This licence permits non-commercial use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and to Journal Motricidade, and that any changes made are indicated.

Authors may deposit the final published version of the article (Version of Record) in institutional repositories, subject repositories, academic networks, or personal websites, provided that the original publication is properly cited.