The association between depressive symptoms, physical activity, flow state, and resting-state EEG in college students
6 affiliations
- 1Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, College of Physical Education and Health
- 2Shanghai Normal University Tianhua College
- 3Yangzhou University, School of Physical Education
- 4Shanghai University of Sport, School of Physical Education
- 5Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, School of physical education and health
- 6Shanghai Educational Center of Science and Art, School Physical Education
Abstract
Objective: Exploring the correlations among physical activity, flow state, and resting-state EEG in college students with depressive symptoms.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 216 college students. Participants completed questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms, physical exercise, and flow proneness, followed by a 5-min resting-state EEG recording. Group differences and associations were examined using independent-samples t-tests, χ² tests, Pearson correlations, and regression-based serial mediation analyses. The primary mediation models were adjusted for sex and self-rated physical health, with unadjusted models reported for comparison.
Results: Physical exercise was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater flow proneness, and significant frontal EEG lateralization differences were observed between students with and without depressive symptoms. In the unadjusted mediation analyses, significant indirect effects were observed through Fp2/Fp1 δ- and α2-band lateralization and through the serial EEG lateralization–flow pathways. However, after adjustment for sex and self-rated physical health, the EEG-related indirect effects were no longer statistically significant in either the δ- or α2-band model. In contrast, the indirect effect through flow proneness alone remained significant in both adjusted models (Ind2), indicating that the flow-related indirect association was more robust to covariate adjustment than the EEG-related pathways.
Conclusion: There is a close correlation among physical activities, EEG-specific indicators and the state of flow. However, whether the EEG-specific indicators play a mediating role remains to be further verified.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{meng2026association,
title = {{The association between depressive symptoms, physical activity, flow state, and resting-state EEG in college students}},
author = {Tao Meng and Yan Rao and Zixian Wang and Feng Ding and Haiyan Wen and Sunwei Huang and Xing Wang and Peijin Li},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1903553},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1903553/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The association between depressive symptoms, physical activity, flow state, and resting-state EEG in college students
AU - Tao Meng
AU - Yan Rao
AU - Zixian Wang
AU - Feng Ding
AU - Haiyan Wen
AU - Sunwei Huang
AU - Xing Wang
AU - Peijin Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1903553
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1903553/full
AB - Objective: Exploring the correlations among physical activity, flow state, and resting-state EEG in college students with depressive symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 216 college students. Participants completed questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms, physical exercise, and flow proneness, followed by a 5-min resting-state EEG recording. Group differences and associations were examined using independent-samples t-tests, χ² tests, Pearson correlations, and regression-based serial mediation analyses. The primary mediation models were adjusted for sex and self-rated physical health, with unadjusted models reported for comparison. Results: Physical exercise was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater flow proneness, and significant frontal EEG lateralization differences were observed between students with and without depressive symptoms. In the unadjusted mediation analyses, significant indirect effects were observed through Fp2/Fp1 δ- and α2-band lateralization and through the serial EEG lateralization–flow pathways. However, after adjustment for sex and self-rated physical health, the EEG-related indirect effects were no longer statistically significant in either the δ- or α2-band model. In contrast, the indirect effect through flow proneness alone remained significant in both adjusted models (Ind2), indicating that the flow-related indirect association was more robust to covariate adjustment than the EEG-related pathways. Conclusion: There is a close correlation among physical activities, EEG-specific indicators and the state of flow. However, whether the EEG-specific indicators play a mediating role remains to be further verified.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -