| Sumario: | Exercise is often used as an intervention to reduce aggressive behaviour. However, despite this widespread use, it is unclear under what conditions exercise can reduce aggressive behaviour. Competition is believed to increase aggressive behaviour through aggressive thoughts, feelings, and physiological responses. This study aims to investigate the acute effects of competitive vs. non-competitive exercise on regulating competition-induced aggression by considering both behavioural and physiological measurements. Seventy-three male students took part in the randomised controlled trial. After a competition-based aggression induction, participants were asked to exercise on a bicycle ergometer at moderate intensity in two conditions: against a fictitious opponent (competition group) or alone (individual group). After exercise, aggressive behaviour was measured using the hot-sauce paradigm. As physiological indices of aggression, testosterone, cortisol, and cardiac vagal activity were measured at different time points. The competition group showed more aggressive behaviour after exercise than the individual group (t(71) = 2.12, p =.037, d = 0.50). However, there were no differences between groups at a physiological level. The study indicates that engaging in exercise without a competitive stimulus can lead to less aggressive behaviour than exercising with a competitive stimulus. Nonetheless, this effect may not be strong enough to cause differences at the physiological level. These findings show the potential of non-competitive exercise to reduce aggression. However, manipulation of competitive settings should consider potential factors to further optimise this effect, by inducing physiological reaction such as the intensity of aggression and the intensity of exercise.
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