We aimed to determine the relationship between social physique anxiety (SPA), body image dissatisfaction (BID), self-esteem (SE), and body fat ratio (BFR) in female exercisers and nonexercisers. Participants included 290 female exercisers and nonexercisers ranging in age from 18 to 60 (M = 24.0, SD = 10.0). One-way ANOVA and the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient were used to analyze data. Significant relationships were found between SPA, body image satisfaction (BIS), and SE. Differences between each group's SPA, BID, and SE scores were also notable. It was concluded, therefore, that exercising behavior had a moderating effect on SPA, BIS, and SE.

We investigated the effect of verbal encouragement on maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) level of the triceps surae muscle group. Our secondary focus was to examine whether the effect of verbal encouragement on MVC level varies as a result of conscientiousness. While the participants performed plantar flexion, MVCs of the triceps surae muscle group were measured using rectified and smoothed surface electromyography (rsEMG) during the absence and presence of verbal encouragement. Participants completed questions from the Five Factor Personality Inventory concerning conscientiousness and were divided into high- and low-conscientiousness groups according to a median split. The sample included 30 female and 53 male elite athletes. In the entire cohort, there was no significant difference in MVCs with and without verbal encouragement. When the sample was partitioned by conscientiousness scores, verbal encouragement led to a significant increase in MVC in the low-conscientiousness group, whereas verbal encouragement led to a non-significant decrease in MVC in the high-conscientiousness group. Percentage change in MVC across experimental conditions was significantly different between the groups, with a 9.72% increase during verbal encouragement of the low-conscientiousness group, and a 2.47% decrease during verbal encouragement of the high-conscientiousness group.

Psychophysiological Responses to Competition and the Big Five Personality Traits: This study examines the relationship between psychophysiological arousal, cognitive anxiety, and personality traits in young taekwondo athletes. A total of 20 male and 10 female taekwondo athletes (mean age = 18.6 years; ± 1.8) volunteered for the study. The Five Factor Personality Inventory and the state scale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to measure personality and cognitive state anxiety. Electrodermal activity (EDA) was measured twice, one day and approximately one hour prior to the competition, to determine psychophysiological arousal. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlations, and stepwise regression were used to analyze the data. Several "Big Five" facets were related to the EDA delta scores that were measured both one day and one hour before the competition. Two stepwise regressions were conducted to examine whether personality traits could significantly predict both EDA delta scores. The final model, containing only neuroticism from the Big Five factors, can significantly explain the variations in the EDA delta scores measured one day before the competition. Agreeableness can significantly explain variations in the EDA delta scores measured one hour before the competition. No relationship was found between cognitive anxiety and the EDA delta scores measured one hour before the competition. In conclusion, personality traits, especially agreeableness and neuroticism, might be useful in understanding arousal responses to competition.

Whether or not the association between physical characteristics and body image satisfaction varies by gender was investigated. The sample included 148 male and 104 female college students aged 19-27 years. To assess body image satisfaction, the Body Image Satisfaction Questionnaire (Berscheid, Walster, & Bohrnstedt, 1973) was used. Body fat, waist to hip, chest to shoulder ratio, weight, and height were measured. The results indicate that males had significantly greater body image satisfaction than did females. There was a small but significant correlation between physical characteristics and body image satisfaction for females but not for males. The regression model, consisting of bodily measures, predicted a significant variance in female body image satisfaction. The same model failed to explain male body image satisfaction.