Tai Chi Improved Mood State Better Than Walking Among Healthy Middle-aged Adults

BACKGROUND: As a mind-body exercise, Tai Chi has an extra mind component than traditional physical exercise. Currently, there is a lack of scientific data comparing the effect of Tai Chi and traditional aerobic exercise on mood. PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the effect of Tai Chi and aerobic exercise on mood states. METHODS: The present study was a randomized, assessor-blinded, controlled trial. One hundred and two participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to the control, brisk walking, and Tai Chi groups. Participants in the brisk walking and Tai Chi groups participated in three 1-hour instructor-led sessions per week and two 15-minute self-training sessions per week. The Profile Mood States Short Forms Questionnaire (POMSSF) was used to measure the global mood, tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion at baseline, post-intervention (12-week), and follow-up (24-week) assessments. RESULT: Two-way repeated measure ANCOVA (with age and gender as covariates) demonstrated significant group-by-time effects in several mood states, including global mood score (p < 0.001), tension (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.001), anger (p < 0.001), fatigue (p < 0.01), and confusion (p < 0.001). Post hoc analysis showed that the abovementioned mood states were significantly lower (p < 0.05) for the Tai Chi group at post-intervention and follow-up assessments compared to control. However, those mood states relapsed at the follow-up. For the brisk walking exercise group, no improvement was observed in all mood states after three months of training. CONCLUSION: This study found that 12 weeks of Tai Chi training improved mood among healthy middle-aged adults, whereas there was no improvement in the brisk walking group.