Too bored for sports? Adaptive and less-adaptive latent personality profiles for exercise behavior

Abstract Physical exercise is an effective tool for improving public health, but the general population exercises too little. Drawing on recent theorizing combined role of boredom and self-control in guiding goal-directed behavior, we test hypothesis that individual differences differentiate high from low exercisers. The as a non-adaptive disposition particular interest, because research sports scarce. Here, investigate such self-reported weekly behavior (in minutes) sample N = 507 participants (n = 200 female, Mage = 36.43 (±9.54)). We used robust variant Mahalanobis distance to detect remove n = 51 multivariate outliers then performed latent profile analysis assess if (boredom proneness; exercise-related boredom) (trait self-control; if-then planning) combine into identifiable profiles. In line with theoretical considerations, Bayesian Information Criterion favored solution two One was characterized by higher-than-average proneness lower-than-average planning values. This pattern reversed second profile. A one-sided two-sample t-test supported first associated less than profile, BF = 16.93. Our results foster notion adaptive dispositions. More importantly, they point important setting: getting easily bored are activity. boredoms' self-controls’ function behavior.