--- title: Do positive psychology and physical activity help PMS symptoms? description: Yes. Both positive psychology and physical activity significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress in students with PMS, with benefits appearing about url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effects-of-positive-psychology-and-physical-activity-on-depression-anxiety-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do positive psychology and physical activity help PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2024 # Do positive psychology and physical activity help PMS symptoms? Yes. Both positive psychology and physical activity significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress in students with PMS, with benefits appearing about two months after the interventions. Moderate study design 120 university students with PMS, 30 in each group ## What they did Randomized controlled trial with 120 university students with PMS. Students were randomly assigned to four groups: positive psychology education (8 sessions), physical activity (8 weeks), both interventions, or no treatment. All students completed a depression, anxiety, and stress questionnaire before the intervention, immediately after, and two months later. ## What they found No significant differences appeared immediately after the interventions. However, at two months, students in all three intervention groups had significantly lower depression, anxiety, and stress scores than the control group. There were no significant differences between the positive psychology group and the physical activity group. ## What it means for you Both positive psychology education and aerobic activity can reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in students with PMS, but benefits take about two months to appear. This study was done in university students, so results may not apply to all women. 120 students 30 per group 8 weeks/sessions ## About the study Original title The effects of positive psychology and physical activity on depression, anxiety, and stress among students with premenstrual syndrome: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial Authors Shavaisi F, Heydarpour S, Jalilian N et al. Journal BMC women's health Year 2024 Study design Randomised trial Participants 30 What was tested Either positive psychology education (8 sessions of 70-90 minutes each), aerobic physical activity (8 weeks), or both Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03333-3](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03333-3) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Randomised trial, 2024 Can stress inoculation training reduce anxiety, depression, and stress in students with PMS? Randomised trial, 2024 Can yoga or muscle relaxation exercises ease PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2025 What factors are linked to PMS in female graduate students? Survey study, 2020 Can teaching about yoga techniques improve girls' knowledge about managing PMS? Survey study, 2020 Do negative attitudes about menstruation and suggestibility predict worse PMS pain and distress? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗