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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1993)
The] - Daily Nebraskan - Aerobics tor the \ .j brain Psychologist studies effects of ^ exercise on stress / Andrea Kaser Speaking into a micro phone in front of a TV camera is enough to make anyone’s palms sweat, but you may handle it better if you go to aerobics class three times a week. That’s what Dr. Richard Dienstbier is trying to find out with his research in the psychology department. For two years, the psychology professor has studied the effects of aerobic exercise on responses to stressful situations. Dienstbier asked under graduates in psychology “ courses to participate for $200 and free aerobics classes in exchange for their time, he said. - Those who participated were not aerobically active at the beginning of the study, he said. Nearly 100 students took part in the study funded by a $160,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. - At the begin ning of the study, all the group membersunderwent stress tests that included competing for money by solving math problems and giving speeches. Half of the participants then took aerobics classes for a semester, while the other half remained didn't. At the end of the study, all partici-; pants repeated the stress tests. Researchers took urine and saliva samples to determine hormonal reactions to the stressful situations, Dienstbier said. Participants’ heart rates and temperatures were monitored also. They were a little hooked