There is a certain self-prophecy in sports medicine specialists finding that sport is beneficial to all-and-sundry. Not that it isn't true at large - "fitness =

There is a certain self-prophecy in sports medicine specialists finding that sport is beneficial to all-and-sundry. Not that it isn't true at large - "fitness = wellness" - but there's so much unspoken nuance. After all, the playing of video games has been linked to happiness and mental acuity, too. If a person is thoroughly depressed in an office all day, does putting them on a treadmill (but having all else remain the same) change their life for the better? Sure, I suppose, but some might argue it'd be a fairly incremental improvement, and if the myriad concerns driving their depression are valid, then the treadmill won't address them. Take that same amount of physical activity, and translate it to the context of a social activity with other people, and I suspect the readings would drastically differ again (from the desk+treadmill scenario). How much of the mental benefit is coming from the social aspect vs the physical aspect? how much from the context surrounding the activity? I'm sure I sound overly cynical, but I do agree with the findings. I just think that the finding "Doing Things sucks less than Doing Nothing & Being Sad" is a bit of a self-evident truth.