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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Movement Science
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1502172

Walking in a Self-Selected Enjoyable Colored Environment: Exploring Gender-Specific Effects and Dynamics of Affects, Perceived Exertion, Heart Rate, and Preferred Walking Speed

Provisionally accepted
Youmna Hassanein Youmna Hassanein 1Lina Majed Lina Majed 1*Walid Briki Walid Briki 2
  • 1 College of Health & Life Science, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
  • 2 Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aim: Existing literature suggests that exposure to colored environments can influence psychological, physiological, and behavioral responses. This study examined the effects of experiencing a selfselected enjoyable colored environment, compared to a neutral one, on psychological and physiological responses, as well as preferred walking speed during a 20-minute treadmill walk. Methods: Eighty participants (40 females) were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (preferred colored environment) or a control group (neutral gray environment). Data were collected at five regular intervals during the treadmill walk. Results: Participants walked significantly slower in the colored environment compared to the neutral one, with this effect more pronounced in females, who significantly reduced their walking speed, while males remained unaffected. The walking task generally decreased depression and confusion levels; females showed a stronger reduction in depression, while males exhibited no significant change. During the task, females revealed significantly higher levels of perceived exertion and heart rate compared to males. A dynamic pattern emerged over time, with increases in perceived exertion, arousal, heart rate, and walking speed, while pleasure levels remained stable. Conclusions: The findings suggest that females are more responsive-psychologically, physiologically, and behaviorally-to both the preferred colored environment and the walking task, demonstrating a greater tendency to derive well-being benefits from subtle stimuli. Furthermore, the observed dynamic pattern suggests the view that self-paced walking is intrinsically governed by a pleasure-driven dynamic. These insights offer valuable implications for designing tailored interventions and strategies to promote physical activity through walking. Future research should further explore the role of color preference perception and self-paced walking in enhancing well-being, particularly within exercise and rehabilitation contexts.

    Keywords: Color psychology, Approach Motivation, mood, Physiology, motor behavior, Sex, Well-being

    Received: 26 Sep 2024; Accepted: 02 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Hassanein, Majed and Briki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lina Majed, College of Health & Life Science, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.