Youth sports can have a significant positive impact on their well-being. Not only do sports reduce stress, they also give teens ways to bond and practice collaboration, while reaping the physical and mental health benefits of exercising. Sports can boost self-esteem, build teamwork skills, and help young people build a close community of peers and supportive adults, of the most important resource for anyone with a mental health condition .

Scientists have been exploring the link between exercise and mood for more than 100 years. As a result, they have produced a large body of research on physical activity and mental health, including the link between sports and mental health. Both biological and psychological factors come into play.

Here are 10 mental benefits of sports proven by research:

1. Exercise positively impacts levels of serotonin, a chemical that helps regulate mental health, and stimulates the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which improves mood.

2. Physical activity releases endorphins, the body’s natural “happy chemicals,” and reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

3. Sports are associated with lower rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior.

4. Participation in team sports reduces the risk of teen substance abuse and other reckless behaviors.

5. Team sports enhance resilience, empathy, confidence and empowerment.

6. They have also been shown to increase executive functioning, creativity, cognitive development, and self-regulation.

7. Improved teamwork and social responsibility

8. Better well-being for teens with disabilities

9. Teen sports, as well as other outdoor activities, get teens outside so they can experience the benefits of time in nature.

10. Sleep improves when teens are physically active—which is important because sleep is essential for maintaining mental health.

In fact, research shows that sports and other types of physical activity can be equally as effective as medication in improving teen mental health and happiness levels.

“Single sessions of activity reduce anxiety, improve mood, and raise feelings of energy that last for several hours. Long-term participation can significantly improve conditions such as clinical anxiety and depression to a degree that rivals medication, both in adults and adolescents.”

—Jack Raglin, PhD, Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University-Bloomington

Sources:

J Clinical Sports Psychol. 2021: 15(3): 268–287.

J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Aug 1;18(3):490–496.

JAMA Pediatr. 2019; 173(7): 681–688.

Adolesc Health. 2014 Nov; 55(5): 640–4.