A team from the University of Granada has combined exercise physiology and health psychology to discover whether high-intensity training protects mental health. Imagine that each training session acts not only as a body strengthener but also as a shield against sadness, irritability or anxiety. This is precisely what a study conducted by the CIMCYC, the iMUDS and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Granada (UGR) suggests: practicing HIIT—High-Intensity Interval Training—for 10 weeks significantly improves mood and reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety and anger in healthy young adults.
What Was Investigated?
The study, titled BEER-HIIT, analyzes how a high-intensity physical exercise program influences the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of young people between the ages of 18 and 40. An additional question makes it particularly original: does moderate alcohol consumption modify the effects of training? The results have been published in the international journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise.
This work is the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers from several UGR research groups. On one hand, the EFFECTS-262 biomedicine group from the Department of Physiology, with an extensive track record in studying physical fitness and its health effects, designed and supervised the physical exercise protocol and assessed fitness variables. On the other hand, members of the CTS-267 Health Psychology group, linked to the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC-UGR), provided the validated tools and expertise necessary to correctly measure and interpret mental health and psychological wellbeing variables.
Led by Professor Andrés Catena Martínez from the Department of Experimental Psychology and integrated into the international doctoral thesis of researcher Cristina Molina Hidalgo, BEER-HIIT offers a comprehensive joint perspective that gives full meaning to the relationship between the training body and improved cognitive-emotional functioning.
HIIT Proves Positive For Mood
The results confirm that HIIT improves mood and reduces hostility, sadness and depressive symptoms in individuals aged 25-35, with no significant differences between the various study groups or between men and women. Regarding alcohol, moderate consumption during the 10 weeks did not negatively affect the psychological variables evaluated.
However, the research team urges caution: "The results should not be interpreted as an endorsement of alcohol consumption; this behavior can entail additional harmful health effects," warns Dr. Molina Hidalgo. Furthermore, it should be noted that the findings correspond to healthy young people over a 10-week period, so they should not be generalized to other age groups or longer terms without additional studies.
Mental health issues among young people have grown at an alarming rate in recent years. Identifying accessible interventions—such as physical exercise—capable of improving emotional wellbeing is more urgent today than ever. Moreover, HIIT is an efficient modality: it produces effects in short sessions, making it a realistic option for people with demanding schedules or those who rely on the "time excuse."
Reference
C. Molina-Hidalgo, F.J. Amaro-Gahete, J. Gonzalez-Hernandez, S. Jain, L. Oberlin, A. Catena, M.J. Castillo. Psychosocial and emotional adaptations under a high-intensity interval training program and moderate alcohol consumption in healthy young adults: The BEER-HIIT study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, vol. 81, 2025, 102961, ISSN 1469-0292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102961
Contact at the CIMCYC
Juan González Hernández - jgonzalez@ugr.es