Exercício físico, criatividade, inibição e humor: interseções entre Neurociências, Ciências do Exercício e Educação

Abstract

In the educational landscape of the 21st century, the importance of developing cognitive and socio-emotional competencies—such as creativity, inhibitory control, and emotional regulation—stands out as a means to promote more innovative, critical, and reflective learning environments. Creativity is established as an essential skill for solving complex problems and professional differentiation, while scientific literature points to physical exercise as a strategy that supports brain health and enhances cognitive and emotional functions. However, the potential effects of exercise on creativity and teaching performance still lack systematic investigation. This dissertation investigates the effects of physical exercise on creativity, inhibitory control, and mood states, drawing upon foundations in neuroscience, exercise science, and education. The research consists of three independent yet complementary studies. The first study, a narrative literature review, discusses the effects of physical exercise on creativity and its educational applications. The review suggests that exercise, especially at moderate to vigorous intensity, can serve as a promising tool to stimulate creativity, particularly in school-aged children and adolescents. The second study conducts a meta-analysis on the effects of physical exercise on the subcomponents of divergent thinking: originality, fluency, and flexibility. The search identified twenty-nine studies, ten of which were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicate no significant effect of acute exercise on originality and fluency, but show a moderate positive effect on flexibility (SMD = 0.588; p = 0.006). For chronic exercise, a small effect on fluency (SMD = 0.336; p = 0.042) and a moderate effect on total creativity scores (SMD = 0.532; p < 0.001) were observed. The high heterogeneity among studies and the lack of clarity regarding the dose-response relationship reinforce the need for high-quality experimental research. The third study—the experimental core of the dissertation—is a crossover clinical trial involving university professors engaged in Problem Based Learning (PBL) sessions. It evaluates the acute effects of a single session of physical exercise on creativity, inhibitory control, and mood states. Participants are subjected to two conditions (exercise and control) at different times, with a 72-hour washout period. The variables are measured immediately after the intervention and at the end of the tutorial session. Statistical analysis is performed using mixed-effects linear models, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05. The results indicate a reduction in response time in the Flanker test under the incongruent condition (p = 0.011) and prevention of accuracy decline in the control condition (p = 0.018). There is a significant increase in vigor (p < 0.001) and a reduction in fatigue (p = 0.049) and tension (p = 0.027), with no significant effects on creativity. It is concluded that short-duration physical exercise has positive effects on inhibitory control and mood states in university professors, suggesting its viability as a complementary strategy to enhance teaching performance in higher education.