This study tested the effects of exercise on eating behavior. The transfer hypothesis proposes that exercise leads to a generalization of healthy behavior and therefore an improved diet. The compensation hypothesis assumes that exercise leads to increased caloric intake in order to “compensate” for the energy expenditure. We tested these hypotheses for actual as well as imagined exercise. Female university employees or students (N = 227) were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: actual exercise vs. imagined exercise vs. control. After baseline data had been obtained, the participants engaged in a 5-minute experimental task and were then left alone with unhealthy snacks. Participants who had imagined themselves exercising (M = 101 kcal, SD = 128 kcal) consumed significantly fewer calories than did controls (M = 129 kcal, SD = 142 kcal), consistent with a transfer effect. Participants who had engaged in actual exercise, but had been distracted from thinking about exercise, consumed quantities (M = 127 kcal, SD = 111 kcal) similar to those consumed by controls. This study suggests that transfer effects are underpinned by psychological processes, such as goal activation, which should be investigated in the future.

中文翻译：

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转移还是补偿？

这项研究测试了运动对饮食行为的影响。转移假说提出，运动会导致健康行为的普遍化，从而改善饮食。补偿假设假设运动会导致热量摄入增加，以“补偿”能量消耗。我们针对实际和想象的运动测试了这些假设。女性大学雇员或学生（N = 227）被随机分配到三个实验组：实际运动与想象运动对比控制。获得基线数据后，参与者进行了 5 分钟的实验任务，然后独自一人吃不健康的零食。想象自己锻炼的参与者（M = 101 kcal，SD = 128 kcal）消耗的卡路里明显少于对照组（M = 129 kcal，SD = 142 kcal），符合转移效应。参加过实际运动但从思考运动中分心的参与者消耗的量（M = 127 kcal，SD = 111 kcal）与对照组消耗的量相似。这项研究表明，转移效应受到心理过程的支持，例如目标激活，这应该在未来进行调查。