The relationship between physical activity, life satisfaction, emotional regulation, and physical self esteem among college students

Abstract

The satisfaction with life among college students is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by various factors. This research investigates the influence of physical activity on the life satisfaction of college students, with a particular focus on the mediating effects of emotional regulation and physical self-esteem. Utilizing a cross-sectional approach, the study surveyed 614 freshman students at a vocational college in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The assessment tools included the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Physical Self-Esteem Scale (PSPP), and the Adolescent Emotional Regulation Ability Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 27, encompassing descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, independent sample t-tests, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis, while controlling for gender and ethnicity. The findings revealed significant gender disparities in physical activity levels, physical self-esteem, and life satisfaction among the college student population. The mediation analysis showed that although the direct effect of physical activity on life satisfaction was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), its indirect effects through emotional regulation (β = 0.0269, P < 0.001) and physical self-esteem (β = 0.0837, P < 0.001) were highly significant. Moreover, physical activity positively predicted life satisfaction through the combined mediating pathway of emotional regulation and physical self-esteem (β = 0.0049, P < 0.001). Therefore, the study concludes that while the direct impact of physical activity on college students’ life satisfaction might be subtle, its positive effects are primarily channeled through the mediation of emotional regulation and physical self-esteem, offering valuable insights for institutions to enhance the overall well-being of their students.

Introduction

College is often viewed as a crucial stage in life, spanning two important life stages, adolescence and early adulthood, and is a critical period of cognitive, emotional, social, and psychological development¹. Maintaining good living habits at this stage plays an important role in future happiness and health; however, the reality is not satisfactory. Physical inactivity among college students has long been a persistent problem. A 2005 meta-analysis reported that approximately 40 to 50% of college students failed to engage in sufficient physical activity². Further, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in its Global Physical Activity Status Report 2022, globally, more than 80% of adolescents, including college students, do not meet the minimum physical activity standards recommended by the WHO³. This data highlights that the lack of physical activity has become a widespread and persistent issue. Based on this, the state, society, and schools have developed a number of programs aimed at promoting physical activity among college students.

Regular physical activity is considered a positive health behavior due to its special role in physical and mental health and is also considered a protective factor for adolescent mental health^4,5. Physical activity, as an external intervention, interacts with individuals’ internal emotional regulation mechanisms, collectively contributing to the healthy development of adolescents. Emotion regulation ability originates from the theory of emotional intelligence, which is an individual’s ability to identify, understand, express, and regulate their own emotions⁶, and regular physical activity can effectively improve college students’ ability to regulate their emotions^7,8. Not only that, but possessing effective emotion regulation skills can also enhance the athletic participation status of college students⁹. This reveals a mutually reinforcing bidirectional relationship between physical exercise and emotion regulation abilities: on one hand, regular physical exercise contributes to the improvement of individual emotion regulation skills; on the other hand, the enhancement of emotion regulation abilities further promotes college students to engage more actively in sports activities, creating a positive feedback loop. Studies have shown that young athletes have higher levels of emotional regulation and proactivity compared to non-athletes¹⁰. This finding further solidifies the close relationship between physical exercise and the capacity for emotional regulation. According to the theory of physiological mechanisms, regular exercise is good for you because it makes endorphins, which help control emotions and improve the functioning of the prefrontal cortex¹¹, thereby improving an individual’s capacity for emotional regulation. Additionally, the ability to regulate emotions can effectively predict adolescents’ life satisfaction¹². Not being able to control your emotions can also make it hard for college students to deal with the stresses of life and study, which can raise your risk of mental health problems like depression and anxiety¹. This can impact their overall life satisfaction, further emphasizing the significance of engaging in physical activities to enhance the emotional regulation abilities of college students.

These days, there is a decline in physical activity levels³ and a deterioration in mental health among college students¹³. Moreover, the persistent decline in life satisfaction during adolescence¹⁴, along with its strong association with mental health risks¹⁵, highlights the severe challenges faced by this group in their psychosocial development. In this rapidly evolving era, college students find themselves at a critical juncture where social interaction and independence are both of great significance. The pressures of academic work and the anxiety related to future employment further exacerbate their psychological burdens¹⁶. Against this backdrop, the search for effective ways to alleviate the negative emotions of college students has become a research topic that has attracted widespread attention. Research has substantiated that consistent physical activity can elevate individuals’ life satisfaction^17–19, with the relationship being moderated by the intensity and type of physical activity. Furthermore, a sample of adolescents from South Korea showed that life satisfaction predicted physical activity even more strongly and that the two were in a bidirectional relationship²⁰. Therefore, enhancing life satisfaction not only helps to increase the amount of physical activity among adolescents but also strengthens their mental health and well-being, as well as alleviates negative emotions, through this positive interaction. In addition, higher life satisfaction tends to predict that individuals have more positive emotions, and these positive emotions can effectively enhance individuals’ emotion regulation abilities²¹. Further, higher emotion regulation abilities tends to be associated with higher well-being, income, and socioeconomic status²². In summary, there is a significant interplay between physical activity, life satisfaction, and the capacity for emotion regulation. This finding provides robust evidence for a deeper understanding of the dynamic relationship between these three factors and urgently necessitates an exploration of the role that emotion regulation skills play in the connection between physical activity and life satisfaction.

Body self-esteem, as a specific domain of overall self-esteem, involves an individual’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with various aspects of his or her body, which is closely linked to social appraisal²³. Some studies have proved that body self-esteem plays a crucial role in increasing life satisfaction²⁴. This finding reveals that satisfaction at the physical level can extend and impact the overall sense of contentment in various domains of life. In an academic context, enhancing students’ body self-esteem is an integral part of university mental health promotion initiatives²⁵. In addition, there is a strong link between physical self-esteem and the extent to which an individual participates in physical activity^26,27. Typically, a higher level of engagement in physical activities corresponds to a higher level of physical self-esteem. Exercise has the most effects on body image and self-concept in non-clinical research²⁸. Active participation in sports improves physical fitness²⁹ and, in the process, effectively improves self-concept and body image perceptions, which in turn improves body self-esteem^30,31. Therefore, we can understand body self-esteem as a positive psychological concept, and if students are able to develop healthy and stable body self-esteem, it will not only improve overall self-esteem but also have a positive impact on individual mental health³². Furthermore, when college students are satisfied with their bodies, they tend to be more confident and motivated to participate in social and physical activities, which in turn further improves life satisfaction as well as indicators related to mental health. In addition, a study from the United Kingdom concluded that participation in sports increased participants’ satisfaction with their appearance, more positive attitudes toward school and friendships, and more positive teacher evaluations³³. These positive effects can further reinforce the role of school satisfaction in promoting overall life satisfaction³⁴. This finding further underscores the importance of universities encouraging students to engage in physical activities, especially in enhancing their physical self-esteem. It profoundly reveals the pivotal role of physical self-esteem in the relationship between physical activity and life satisfaction, indicating that boosting physical self-esteem can effectively enhance students’ life satisfaction, thereby promoting their all-round development.

Based on the aforementioned discussion, it is evident that there is a certain correlation between physical activity and life satisfaction, physical self-esteem, and emotional regulation capabilities, which may be bidirectional, with each factor potentially having a predictive role. However, the mechanisms by which physical activity promotes life satisfaction and psychological well-being among college students are complex and abstract. It is not driven by a single factor but rather by the synergistic effects of multiple factors. For instance, physical activity often occurs in parallel with the shaping of individual behaviors and the improvement of physiological states, both of which are closely related to life satisfaction. Additionally, socio-cultural context and demographic characteristics also influence this process. Existing research primarily focuses on developed regions, with a relative scarcity of studies on college students in ethnic minority areas, and rarely addresses the roles of emotional regulation capacity and body self-esteem. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting research at a vocational school in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, exploring the mediating effects of emotional regulation capacity and body self-esteem in the relationship between physical activity and life satisfaction (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.

Conceptual mediation model path diagram. PA physical activity, BSE body self-esteem, LS life satisfaction, ERA emotion regulation ability.

In this study, we propose the following hypotheses: The null hypothesis H0 posits that there is no significant relationship between college students’ level of physical activity and their life satisfaction. The alternative hypothesis H1 suggests that there is a significant relationship between the two, with H1a proposing a positive correlation between physical activity level and life satisfaction, and H1b suggesting a negative correlation. Alternative Hypothesis H2: The level of physical activity among college students affects their life satisfaction through a chain-mediated process involving emotional regulation capacity and body self-esteem. Sub-hypotheses: H2a: Emotional regulation capacity mediates the relationship between physical activity level and body self-esteem. H2b: Body self-esteem mediates the relationship between emotional regulation capacity and life satisfaction. By testing these hypotheses, we aim to explore the mechanisms by which physical activity influences the life satisfaction of college students and have constructed a corresponding model accordingly.

Methods

Participants and process

In October 2024, we conducted a cross-sectional study at a university in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region using convenience sampling. All methods were carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, as well as other pertinent laws, regulations, and ethical guidelines. After defining the research direction, we selected appropriate scales and integrated them into the Questionnaire Star software. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Each investigator received pre-study training to become acquainted with the survey methodology and content. With the approval of the school, we distributed the survey questionnaire to the respective classes via the internet. The questionnaire covered a range of topics including basic sociodemographic information, physical activity levels, life satisfaction, emotional regulation abilities, and physical self-esteem indicators. We adhered to the STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies. A total of 638 participants completed the questionnaire, and the returned questionnaires underwent the following processing steps: (1) samples with missing values in their responses were excluded; (2) responses that were homogenous and regular, such as all answers to a question being nearly identical or exhibiting a simple increasing or decreasing sequence, were removed; (3) questionnaires completed at unreasonably rapid speeds were discarded. Ultimately, 24 questionnaires were excluded, leaving 614 valid questionnaires with an effective response rate of 96.24%. The sample comprised 451 males (73.5%) and 163 females (26.5%), with 376 Han Chinese (61.2%) and 238 Hui Chinese (38.8%). The mean age of the participants was 19.1 years (standard deviation = 1.394).

Measures

Physical activity

We utilized the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), revised by Professor Liang Deqing’s team, to assess the level of physical activity among students. The scale, which covers several variables such exercise intensity, duration, and frequency, has been widely used in China to evaluate an individual’s physical activity involvement. The formula for calculating each person’s total PA was PA = intensity (1–5) × duration (1–5) × frequency (0–4). Consequently, the total PA varied between 0 and 100. Three levels of total PA were identified: low (≤ 19), moderate (20–42), and high (≥ 43). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the revised PARS-3 was 0.82, indicating acceptable reliability³⁵.

Life satisfaction

We employed a single-item scale to measure life satisfaction in order to evaluate the level of life satisfaction among the students of the institution. Single-item life satisfaction measures perform extremely similarly to the multi-item SWLS³⁶, and the validity of this single-question questionnaire has been confirmed³⁷. The item is a Cantril ladder³⁸, where respondents select from a range of criteria, with 0 at the bottom of the ladder signifying the least satisfied life and 10 at the top signifying the most satisfied life.

Physical self-esteem

We utilized the Chinese version of the Physical Self-Presentation Preoccupation Scale (PSPP) developed by Xu Xia²³ to assess the level of students’ physical self-esteem. With a total of 25 questions (including 13 questions with reverse scoring), it has one main scale (sense of physical self-worth) and four subscales (motor skills, physical fitness, physical condition, and physical attractiveness). The higher the final scores add up, the higher the level of physical self-esteem. The scale’s Cronbach’s α coefficient in this study was 0.874.

Emotional regulation

We employed the Adolescent Emotion Regulation Scale, developed by Ji Jiajun and Lu Jiapei³⁹, to assess the emotion regulation capabilities of the students at the institution. It has 25 items that are divided into six categories: self-efficacy in emotion regulation, emotion regulation reflection, effective application of emotion regulation strategies, emotion perception, emotion appraisal, and emotion control. A person’s capacity to control their emotions is measured on a 6-point scale, where 1 means “not at all” and 6 means “completely.” The higher the score, the better. In this investigation, the scale’s Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.971.

Statistical analysis

We started by screening and processing the information that was gathered. Subsequently, we conducted descriptive statistical analyses using SPSS version 27 to provide a preliminary summary and characterization of the data. During this process, we paid particular attention to the measures of skewness and kurtosis to assess the normality of the data distribution, using independent samples t-tests to examine gender differences, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients to assess the scales’ internal consistency, and Pearson correlation analyses to investigate direct correlations between the variables. Following that, we performed mediation analyses. To diagnosis multicollinearity in the model using variance inflation factor (VIF) and tolerance values, we employed the PROCESS 4.2 plug-in in SPSS program to do the mediation effects analysis. We constructed 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the Bootstrap method with 5000 resampling iterations to guarantee the correctness and robustness of the analytical results. Whether or not the CI contained zero determined the significance of the mediating effect; if not, the related impact was deemed significant. We considered ethnicity and gender as control factors when building the model. Prior to being incorporated into the mediation effects model, every variable was standardized.

Results

Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis

The study’s demographic data and the scores of the various genders on physical activity, physical self-esteem, emotional regulation, life satisfaction and the test results for skewness and kurtosis of each sample are clearly displayed in Table 1. According to Kline, when skewness is between ± 3 and kurtosis is between ± 10, the data from the questionnaire can be considered to approximately follow a normal distribution⁴⁰. Consequently, all items meet these criteria, and the sample data from the questionnaire can be directly used for subsequent analyses. According to the results of the independent samples t-test, boys outperformed female pupils in terms of physical activity (< 0.001), physical self-esteem (< 0.001), emotional regulation (= 0.03), and life satisfaction (< 0.001).

Table 1.

Descriptive statistics and gender differences in various variables.

	Sample (N = 614)	Male (N = 451)	Female (N = 163)	P-value	Skew	Kurt
Han, n%	61.2%
Age, M (SD)	19.07 (1.34)
Male, n%	73.5%
PA, M (SD)	19.47 (18.60)	22.32 (19.47)	11.59 (13.07)	P < 0.001	1.613	3.158
BSE, M (SD)	74.55 (12.22)	76.11 (11.80)	70.26 (12.37)	P < 0.001	-0.38	1.194
ERA, M (SD)	99.92 (26.50)	101.31 (27.18)	96.06 (24.19)	P = 0.03	-0.542	0.508
LS, M (SD)	7.14 (2.29)	7.33 (2.24)	6.60 (2.33)	P < 0.001	-0.589	0.009

As indicated in Table 2, PA was significantly and positively connected with physical self-esteem (r = 0.364 p < 0.01), LS (r = 0.164 p < 0.01), and emotional regulation ability (r = 0.179 p < 0.01), according to a Pearson correlation analysis of gender, ethnicity, and each of the survey variables. There was a significant and positive correlation between physical self-esteem and both emotional regulation ability (r = 0.177 p < 0.01) and life satisfaction (r = 0.316 p < 0.01). Furthermore, there was a substantial and positive correlation between emotional regulation ability and life satisfaction (r = 0.217, p < 0.01). These results reject the null hypothesis H0, supporting the alternative hypothesis H1 and H1a, indicating a close association among these variables.

Table 2.

Pearson correlation analysis for study outcomes.

	1	2	3	4	5	6
1 Gender	1
2 Race	0.092*	1
3 PA	0.255**	− 0.073	1
4 BSE	0.211**	0.015	0.364**	1
5 LS	0.142**	0.030	0.164**	0.316**	1
6 ERA	0.088*	−0.009	0.179**	0.177**	0.217**	1

**p < 0.01, *P < 0.05. Female: 0; Male: 1; Han: 0; Hui: 1. PA physical activity, BSE body self-esteem, LS life satisfaction, ERA emotion regulation ability.

Mediation analysis

Using Model 6 in the Process 4.2 macro plug-in, created by Hayes especially to assess mediating effects, the analysis of mediating effects was carried out. Physical exercise was the study’s independent variable, emotional control and physical self-esteem were its mediating variables, and life satisfaction was its dependent variable. Additionally, the model incorporated ethnicity and gender as control factors. A standard 95% confidence interval was established and the sample was reproduced 5,000 times to increase the analysis’s accuracy⁴¹. Table 3 displays the regression analysis’s findings. The adjusted R-squared values for the three models are as follows: 0.034 for the first model, 0.1599 for the second model, and 0.1322 for the third model. The findings demonstrated that physical exercise was a significant predictor of both physical self-esteem (β = 0.3159, p < 0.001) and emotion regulation capacity (β = 0.1677, p < 0.001). Additionally, life satisfaction (β = 0.1604, p < 0.001) and physical self-esteem (β = 0.11, p < 0.001) were predicted by emotional regulation ability. Additionally, life satisfaction was predicted by physical self-esteem as well (β = 0.2650, p < 0.001), however there were no noteworthy correlations found between life satisfaction and physical exercise.The outcomes of the mediation study are extensively displayed in Table 4; Fig. 2. Physical activity has a considerable indirect impact on life satisfaction but no significant direct impact. Through body esteem and emotional regulation ability, physical exercise had indirect impacts on life satisfaction of 0.0269 (95% CI: 0.0098–0.0488) and 0.0837 (95% CI: 0.0514–0.1215), respectively. These results confirm hypotheses H2a and H2b. Furthermore, the ability to regulate emotions and physical self-esteem had a 0.0049 (0.0011–0.0094) chain-mediated effect, thereby supporting hypothesis H2. Therefore, physical activity not only indirectly enhances life satisfaction through the individual mediating roles of emotional regulation and physical self-esteem, but also exerts its influence via a chained mediating effect of these two factors.

Table 3.

The results of the regression estimate of the chained mediation model.

Outcome variable	Model 1 ERA			Mode BSE			Model 3 LS
	β	SE	t	β	SE	t	β	SE	t
PA	0.1677	0.0589	4.0542***	0.3159	0.0257	8.0765***	0.0241	0.0052	0.5754
ERA				0.1100	0.0174	2.9097***	0.1604	0.0033	4.1435***
BSE							0.2650	0.0077	6.4298***
R²	0.0340			0.1599			0.1322
F	7.1578			7.5507			18.5266

***p < 0.001.

Table 4.

Results of mediation analysis.

	β	SE	Boot LLCI	Boot ULCI	Proportion
Total effect	0.1396	0.0051	0.0072	0.0271
Direct effect	0.0241	0.0052	-0.0072	0.0131	17.44%
Total indirect effect	0.1155	0.0201	0.0776	0.1571	82.56%
PA-ERA-LS	0.0269	0.0101	0.0098	0.0488	19.19%
PA -BSE - LS	0.0837	0.0178	0.0514	0.1215	59.88%
PA-ERA - BSE - ls	0.0049	0.0021	0.0011	0.0094	3.49%

Fig. 2.

The influence of the chain mediating model of emotional regulation ability and physical self-esteem on physical activity and life satisfaction.

Discussion

Potential relationships between physical exercise, life satisfaction, emotion control, and physical self-esteem were investigated in this study. The study’s findings supported Hypothesis H1 and H1a by showing a strong positive relationship between life satisfaction and physical exercise. These outcomes further support the beneficial benefits of physical activity on college students’ life satisfaction and are in line with the findings of Guo et al.⁴².

At the same time, this study showed that the relationship between physical activity and life satisfaction became insignificant once the mediating variables of physical self-esteem and emotional relatedness ability were introduced; moreover, the combined indirect effect of these two mediating variables was significant, and the indirect effect was significantly greater than the direct effect (mediating effect percentage 82.56%). Specifically, the mediating effect of emotional regulation ability accounted for 19.19%, while physical self-esteem, thus confirming H2a and H2b. This pattern suggests a link between physical self-esteem and emotional regulation together with physical activity and life satisfaction, although the effects varied. The results suggest that physical activity significantly predicts life satisfaction without accounting for mediating variables. However, the association between physical activity and life satisfaction was moderated when physical self-esteem and emotional regulation ability were considered as mediating variables. This finding suggests that physical activity may be a more indirect factor among the many influences on life satisfaction and that this indirect effect may be more due to its inherent nature. Physical activity is a purposeful behavior based on personal intentions and motivations, and it is deeply rooted in an individual’s action plan⁴³. Just as we actively engage in exercise in pursuit of a more desirable quality of life, such activities reflect our quest for health and well-being. It is this ongoing pursuit of health and happiness that elevates our quality of life, thereby enhancing our satisfaction with life. Even though we have conclusive evidence of the benefits of physical activity for the body and mind⁴⁴, it is certain that the benefits of physical activity for the body and mind are realized through the effects of different forms of exercise on the physiology of the organism⁴⁵ and the psychology of the organism⁴⁶. According to the neurological hypothesis, sustained and regular physical activity is thought to alleviate the prevalence of negative emotions through the enhancement of neurotrophic factors in the brain and the reduction of the stress response⁴⁷. For example, Zhang et al. revealed that physical activity can promote psychological well-being by increasing self-efficacy and stress associations⁴⁸, thereby expanding the pathways through which physical activity promotes mental and physical well-being. Moreover, life satisfaction is influenced by a variety of factors⁴⁹ in observing that the effect of physical activity on life satisfaction can be easily overshadowed by, or receive the influence of, other factors, such as cultural differences⁵⁰ and body image⁵¹. For instance, cultural differences and body image may act as moderators, influencing the association between physical activity and life satisfaction. Therefore, when investigating the direct effects of physical activity on life satisfaction, it is essential to acknowledge that this effect may be less pronounced due to the interference of numerous accompanying factors. Given this, universities should consider the characteristics of different types of physical activities when employing them as a means to enhance the life satisfaction of college students, and accordingly, determine appropriate research starting points and methodologies.

The results of the study further confirm the association between these variables, namely that physical activity can impact life satisfaction through physical self-esteem. This emphasizes the importance of enhancing physical self-esteem. Physical self-esteem was significantly and positively correlated with life satisfaction. People with higher levels of physical self-esteem had lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of life satisfaction⁵². This phenomenon may be highly correlated with the psychological trait of physical self-esteem. Specifically, this is because higher levels of physical self-esteem lead to more self-confidence⁵³, which in turn enhances the quality of social interactions and ultimately raises life satisfaction. Conversely, lower physical self-esteem may lead to lower life satisfaction and make individuals feel inferior and frustrated when facing life challenges. Meanwhile, there are significant differences in the scores of physical activity, physical self-esteem, and life satisfaction among different individuals, and we found that boys scored significantly higher than girls in physical activity, physical self-esteem, and life satisfaction, and physical activity and physical self-esteem were consistent with previous studies⁵⁴, whereas life satisfaction was different from previous studies⁵⁵, which may be due to the fact that, relative to girls, sports participation has a greater effect on the boys, who have a greater effect on positive body satisfaction⁵⁶, which in turn mediates life satisfaction. A study from Spain similarly suggests that physical activity can reinforce the positive impact of school satisfaction on life satisfaction³⁴. It is evident that, in the school setting, males typically engage in higher levels of physical activity than females. Furthermore, by improving bodily self-esteem, our study supports the idea that physical activity could enhance life satisfaction. In addition to developing a positive body image, students who engage in physical activity also benefit from improved health, superior athletic ability, etc. These numerous positive influences combine to create a whole that encourages positive body perceptions, which in turn help to increase an individual’s physical self-esteem. As a result, college students are able to look at themselves and face negativity with greater confidence and optimism. Previous research has amply demonstrated the importance of positive attitudes^57,58. As a result, those who regularly exercise will inevitably see a major improvement in their physical self-esteem over time, which will lead to a more positive outlook on life and an overall increase in life satisfaction.

Our research also confirmed the link between physical activity, the ability to control your emotions, and being happy with your life. Using emotion regulation ability as a model for path analysis showed that it not only predicted life satisfaction directly but also had a big impact on the link between physical activity and life satisfaction. According to the mediating effects analysis, physical activity could act on life satisfaction by positively predicting emotion regulation ability. The life satisfaction component also showed how physical activity and the ability to control your emotions are related. The strength of this link suggests that both increased physical activity and better emotion regulation can improve a person’s life satisfaction. Gross’s process model outlines four stages of emotion regulation: (1) experiencing emotions, (2) directing attention, (3) assessing emotional responses, and (4) regulating responses⁵⁹. This process model also applies to physical activity among college students, who experience positive emotions during physical activity to divert attention and regulate the effects of negative emotions, such as anxiety and depression, on life satisfaction. Meanwhile, self-determination theory suggests that people have an innate tendency to grow and develop— a tendency known as self-determination⁶⁰. Physical activity itself is a kind of emotion regulation strategy, which can be a preventive measure or an active regulation measure. College students can not only improve their emotion regulation ability and prevent mental illness through physical activity but also decide to use it to regulate their negative emotions. Those who have gained positive results and emotions from physical activity will do it more frequently, thus forming a kind of virtuous circle. This will not only increase life satisfaction but also again improve college student athletic participation⁹. Thus, not only does emotion regulation abilities mediate the effects of physical activity on life satisfaction, but higher emotion regulation abilities can prompt physical activity, thereby increasing life satisfaction among college students.

Finally, we also identified potential associations between physical activity, body self-esteem, emotional regulation ability, and life satisfaction, that emotional regulation ability and body self-esteem not only mediate the relationship between physical activity and life satisfaction individually, but that they also have some influence through a chain-mediated effect (mediating effect percentage 3.49%), thereby confirming H2. The development of emotional regulation ability is a significant aspect of an individual’s socialization and emotional maturation. Those with strong emotional regulation skills are generally more adept at managing negative thoughts, enabling them to exhibit a healthier level of body self-esteem⁶¹. Additionally, they are capable of transforming negative perceptions of body image, thereby maintaining a positive self-evaluation. Comparatively, those with weaker emotional regulation ability tended to struggle to properly manage negative perceptions about their weight, which may affect their satisfaction with their body image. This further study emphasizes the association between emotion management skills and body esteem stages and the importance of improving emotion regulation abilities through physical activity to reduce negative perceptions of the body and thus increase life satisfaction.

Research limitations and future perspectives

Overall, our research holds significant importance for promoting a healthy lifestyle among college students. Theoretically, it constructs a comprehensive chain mediation model, uncovering the underlying mechanisms through which physical activity influences life satisfaction. This finding makes an important contribution to the theoretical construction for a deeper understanding of the complex mechanisms behind life satisfaction. Furthermore, we have expanded the understanding of the inter relationships between variables and explores this within the context of a multicultural ethnic background. Consequently, it provides a scientific basis for the formulation and implementation of cross-cultural health promotion strategies. However, this study has its limitations. Firstly, its cross-sectional design limits the ability to infer causal relationships between physical activity and life satisfaction. Future researchers can employ a longitudinal study design, collecting multiple cross-sectional data points at various time intervals to track long-term changes between variables. This approach can further validate the causal relationships revealed by the current study. Secondly, due to practical constraints, our assessment of physical activity relied primarily on self-reported questionnaires completed by participants, which may not have avoided biases inherent in subjective reporting. Future research should incorporate more objective measures, such as accelerometers, to assess physical activity levels. Moreover, the sample was confined to a particular region and institution, primarily within the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which may have constrained the generalizability of the findings due to the unique factors present in Hui culture, such as religious beliefs and dietary habits, which could have influenced the results. Future research should take into account regional and cultural differences to better elucidate the complex interplay between physical activity and life satisfaction. Lastly, our study only examined two mediating variables. There may be additional mediators between physical activity and life satisfaction, prompting future research to include more specific mediating factors, such as sedentary behavior and dietary habits.

Conclusion

This study underscores that the impact of physical activity on college students’ life satisfaction is mediated by independent mediators of emotional regulation ability, independent mediators of body esteem, and a chain of mediators involving both emotional regulation ability and body esteem. These findings enrich our understanding of the predictive effects of physical activity on life satisfaction. The outcomes of this research are aimed at influencing intervention measures, which include enhancing participation in physical activities, strengthening emotion regulation abilities, and fostering a positive perception of the bodily self. These interventions can have a positive impact on college students’ life satisfaction, thereby contributing to the ultimate goal of shaping individuals who are well-developed both physically and mentally.

We recommend that universities further optimize campus public sports facilities to attract more college students to actively participate in physical exercise. Concurrently, it is essential to establish a comprehensive and scientific exercise evaluation mechanism to effectively monitor and incentivize students’ physical activities. Through these measures, the engagement of college students in physical activities can be effectively promoted.

Author contributions

Author Contributions Statement: N and L: Designed the study, conducted data analysis and interpretation, and were primarily responsible for writing the manuscript. W, Guo and Gao: Organized the research process and conducted the literature search. Zhou : Performed the literature screening and assisted in drafting the manuscript. Ma and Qiu : Provided experimental and testing guidance and contributed to revising the manuscript.

Funding

Introduction of Talent and Research start-up Fund of Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus, Grant Number: 29100-312200502543.

Data availability

The sequential data supporting the study’s findings have been made publicly available in a repository on GitHub, with all data converted into specific scores. The key intervention link is provided here: https://github.com/nie-ship-it/PA-lifesatisfaction/blob/f964383a07b9b7d54721c5ebf87affd1b095bdeb/data.xlsx.

Declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval and consent

This study was approved by the Academic Ethics Committee of the School of Physical Education and Sports at Beijing Normal University. All participants received a statement and information regarding the questionnaires they completed.