The Effect of Descriptive Norms on Exercise Output and Exertion During a Video-Guided Workout

Evidence suggests that messages targeting descriptive norms (people’s perceptions of the typical behaviors of others) can enhance physical activity participation. However, no research has examined whether descriptive norms can be harnessed to improve people’s exercise output and exertion during specific and popular exercise tasks. We examined the effect of manipulating descriptive norms on objective indicators of participants’ exercise output and exertion during a video-guided workout. Participants (N = 102) first completed a baseline trial in which they were asked to complete a workout to the best of their ability. Then, prior to and during Trial 2, participants in the experimental group were presented with normative feedback, which indicated that the number of exercise repetitions they completed during Trial 1 was below average. Participants in the control group received no normative feedback. Experimental group participants improved their repetition count to a significantly greater extent than control group participants during Trial 2: by an average of 11% compared to 0.5%. Experimental group participants also demonstrated increases in their maximum and average heart rate from Trial 1 to Trial 2, while control group participants demonstrated reduced exertion. Moderation and mediation analyses showed that the effect of the norm messages on participants’ exercise output and exertion was (a) greater to the extent that participants strongly identified with the norm reference group and (b) underpinned by increases in participants’ task motivation. Findings suggest that highlighting descriptive norms might be a fruitful way for exercise professionals to motivate exercisers to maximize their exertion and output during exercise sessions.