When it comes to reducing the risk of depression and anxiety, how often students exercise may matter more than how hard they push themselves.
A large Norwegian study found that students who exercised infrequently were more likely to develop clinically defined depression, anxiety, or another common mental disorder over the following year. How often they exercised appeared to matter more consistently than how hard or how long they worked out.
The findings were published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Michael Grasdalsmoen of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and his colleagues.
Why Student Mental Health Matters
Depression and anxiety are leading causes of disability among young adults worldwide. The transition into higher education can bring academic pressure, financial concerns, disrupted routines, and separation from familiar support systems, making this period an important window for prevention.
Exercise has long been associated with better mental health, but much of the earlier evidence has relied on snapshots taken at a single point in time. Fewer studies have followed students prospectively and then used a standardized diagnostic assessment to identify mental disorders.
To examine how different exercise habits might shape later risk, the researchers tracked 10,460 full-time students in Norway between the ages of 18 and 35.
Frequency May Matter Most
At the beginning of the study, participants reported how frequently they exercised, how demanding the activity was, how long their sessions lasted, and their total weekly exercise time. One year later, they completed a self-administered diagnostic instrument that assessed common mental disorders.
Students with lower overall activity levels were more likely to meet clinical criteria for anxiety or depression at follow-up. Of the different measures examined, exercise frequency produced the most consistent association with mental health.
The patterns were not identical for everyone. Among women, lower exercise intensity predicted anxiety and depression, while among men, shorter weekly exercise duration emerged as a stronger risk factor.
Benefits Rise With Weekly Exercise
The probability of developing a common mental disorder declined as total exercise increased, with the association continuing up to approximately 10 hours per week. That does not mean students need to exercise for 10 hours to benefit. The findings also supported the World Health Organization recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week.
The study suggests that regularity may be more practical and important than chasing exhausting workouts. Frequent activity can include many forms of movement, potentially making it easier to fit exercise into demanding class schedules than relying on occasional marathon sessions.
Because the research was observational, it cannot prove that exercise itself prevented mental illness. Other factors may influence both activity levels and psychological health, and early symptoms of depression or anxiety can make it harder to exercise. Even so, helping students stay active could form one part of a broader mental health strategy, especially for those experiencing emerging or subthreshold symptoms.
Building Movement Into Student Life
The authors add: “Our findings show that students who engage in regular physical exercise are at lower risk of developing common mental disorders over time. These findings highlight the importance of making physical activity an accessible and natural part of student life.”
“Mental health among students is a growing public health concern. Our findings suggest that supporting students to be physically active may contribute to better mental health and should be recognized as an important part of a healthy learning environment.”
Reference: “Physical exercise and risk of common mental disorders among higher education students: A national prospective study” by Michael Grasdalsmoen, Erlingur Johannsson, Mari Hysing and Børge Sivertsen, 19 August 2026, PLOS ONE.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0353787
The SHoT study received financial support from the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research (2017) and the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services (2016)
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