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Physical activity improves physiological and psychological function.

Martial arts represent integrated holistic activities that can benefit brain and body.

Martial arts training has a positive effect on mood, well-being, and self-esteem across the lifespan.

Positive effects of regular physical activity on subjective well-being are well supported by a large and ever-increasing body of knowledge in the fields of exercise psychology and behavioral medicine. Traditional martial arts training as a holistic integrated activity has shown benefits that are especially pronounced and notable in older adults. Middle-aged folks (and younger) have been less well studied.

Importance of Physiology, Psychology, and Philosophy

Subjective well-being, self-esteem, and mood have modulating and complex interactions, and Yan Li and Yanbin Hu from Chongqing Industry Polytechnic University and the University of Chinese Medicine in Beijing, China recently published research on this. Their recent study "Relationship between Tai Chi and the mood states, self-esteem, and subjective well-being of middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional study from China" is notable for the numbers of participants assessed and the focus on a little-studied age range of adults from 45-65 years old.

Using a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based assessment, they surveyed almost 650 participants, two-thirds of whom were women. Participants were asked about the volume of Tai Chi Chuan training they participated in and were assessed using questionnaires that estimate well-being, self-esteem, and mood states. Using statistical modeling, the researchers aimed to understand the interactive effects of traditional martial arts training volume, gender, and psychological state.

A main result of this work was revealed in a "positive correlation between Tai Chi exercise volume and subjective well-being in middle-aged and older adults, with exercise volume exhibiting a direct positive predictive effect on well-being. This indicates that higher engagement in Tai Chi exercise predicts richer hedonic experiences within this population". Simply put, more is better, as with most physical activity interventions.

This study showed that there were significant differences between men and women in "mental health status among middle-aged and older adults. Specifically, women exhibited significantly higher mood state scores, whereas men demonstrated significantly greater self-esteem and subjective well-being. Collectively, these results indicate that male participants reported significantly more favorable mood states, coupled with higher levels of self-esteem and subjective well-being, relative to female participants." Further study into these differences is strongly encouraged.

Importance of Integrated Mind-Body Training Across the Lifespan

The researchers point out that physical exercise in general, and martial arts specifically, "increase an individual’s social activity but also improve social support and interpersonal relationship skills and such relationships can bring positive well-being experiences to the participating individuals."

Although limited by its cross-sectional design, this work also showed a very interesting sequential mediating effect of training, such that Tai Chi Chuan training improved mood states, which enhanced self-esteem and then led to improved subjective well-being. They suggest that this "indicates that the relationship between Tai Chi exercise and subjective well-being in middle-aged and older adults is substantially mediated by the serial intermediary roles of mood and self-esteem".

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As part of the scientific literature supporting the beneficial physiological and psycho-social effects of martial arts training, work like this shows that the benefits form a continuum across the lifespan. Activities like martial arts that involve whole body exercise, psychological factors, and interactions with others have clear benefits for all ages.

(c) E. Paul Zehr (2026)

Li Y, Hu Y. Relationship between Tai Chi and the mood states, self-esteem, and subjective well-being of middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional study from China. Front Public Health. 2026 Jan 28;14:1686008. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1686008. PMID: 41684397; PMCID: PMC12891152.

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