Editorial: Motivation states and hedonic motivation for physical activity, exercise, and sport vs. sedentary behaviors

The concept of motivation states for physical activity and sedentarism emerged from ideas emanating from addiction medicine, self-control research, and exercise psychology. To start, Robinson and Berridge's theory of incentive salience, which seeks to understand urges and cravings for addictive substances, differentiates the notions of liking versus wanting. Those addicted to exercise experience cravings for movement, in other words, strong desires or wants, which are perhaps independent of the pleasure they receive from it. The want or desire to move and be active, however, is not limited to athletes or exercise addicts. Indeed, most humans experience these motivation states from time to time, if not regularly. In pondering over this point, there is a possibility that the reader may spontaneously feel an urge to move. Such a feeling might even persist for several minutes, but could also dissipate as quickly as it arrives. Regardless, it seems obvious that humans are more motivated to move, be active, and exercise at some moments compared to others. For instance, when waking up, the desire to move may be very weak, but after some additional time awake, a cup of coffee, and a pressing appointment in the next hour, a person might be “on fire” to move. Overall, it is clear that motivation to be physically active is a transient state that is regulated by a number of factors. How this has been missed in exercise psychology textbooks is a mystery.