Three-quarters of the nation admit to wanting an ‘uplift’
[July 12, 2021 – LONDON] – ASICS’ State of Mind Index reveals the current mood of the nation – a mediocre 58 out of 100 – with three-quarters (76%) of us admitting to wanting an ‘uplift’. Developed as part of ASICS’ partnership with the mental health charity Mind, the ASICS State-of-Mind Index asked more than 6000 people across 40 counties to rate their mental state across 10 cognitive and emotional traits.
Despite life set to return to normal with restrictions planned to lift next week, the results indicate a general feeling of “uncertainty” according to leading mental health and movement expert, Dr. Brendon Stubbs, who oversaw the research.
Average scores (out of 100) across all 10 mental health markers are “mediocre”’ with energised (54), confidence (57) and positivity (58) scoring the lowest across the country. Even when looking at the higher scoring traits – composure (61), alertness (61) and feeling calm (60) – Dr. Stubbs added that the middling scores suggested a “feeling of trepidation” across the nation.
Residents of Warwickshire rated their mental state the highest of the 40 counties surveyed with a State of Mind score of 63 out of 100. While residents of Nottinghamshire rated their mental state the lowest with a score of 54 out of 100, with 80% admitting they could do with an “uplift.”
Counties with the highest self-reported mental states are:
1 | Warwickshire (63) | 6 | Derbyshire (60) |
2 | East Riding of Yorkshire (62) | 7 | North Yorkshire (60) |
3 | Berkshire (61) | 8 | Devon (60) |
4 | Dorset (61) | 9 | Somerset (60) |
5 | Hertfordshire (61) | 10 | Cheshire (60) |
Dr. Brendon Stubbs, a leading International expert in mental health and movement, commented: “Following 18 months of setbacks, restrictions and uncertainty understandably this has meant that the mood of the nation is flat. At a time where we are turning a corner with a more positive outlook, the nation is still currently apprehensive, and this is reflected in our general mental wellbeing. The nation is clearly in need of an uplift.”
Hayley Jarvis, Head of Physical Activity for Mind, said: “The impact of the pandemic on the nation’s mental health has been significant, not least for people with existing mental health problems. We may not know the true impact until long after lockdown restrictions are lifted. The ASICS State of Mind Index is a very welcome addition to our understanding of how the nation’s emotional wellbeing has been affected. We know that there is a strong link between physical activity and mental health, with benefits that include helping with sleep, happier moods, and managing stress. Regular physical activity can actually reduce the risk of depression by up to 30%, so can be a vital tool for us to maintain our mental wellbeing. We’re looking forward to working with ASICS to support more people to get active for the benefit of their mental health.”
ASICS’ Commitment to Uplifting Minds
ASICS, an acronym for the Latin, Anima Sana in Corpore Sano or a Sound Mind in a Sound Body, was founded more than 70 years ago to lift people’s spirits through sport. Today, ASICS is inviting people across the nation to move and see the impact on their own mental wellbeing with the ASICS Mind Uplifter™ tool. Every Mind Uplift shared with #UpliftingMinds will raise funds for mental health charity Mind to help provide services for people experiencing mental health problems.
Gary Raucher, Executive Vice President, ASICS commented, “We’ve always believed in the positive impact of movement on the body and on the mind. It’s our founding philosophy and its never meant more than right now. We know the pandemic has put even more pressure on the mental wellbeing of many people and we’re committed to take action. We’re keen to work with fantastic organisations such as Mind to support more people to move for their physical and mental wellbeing.”
ASICS will host a series of Uplifting Minds events across the year to encourage wider participation and prove the power of all sports to uplift the mind, starting with the London 10K on 25 July 2021.
Find out more at ASICS.com and its mission to move one million minds at MindUplifter.ASICS.com.
NOTES FOR EDITOR
INDEX METHODOLOGY:
The index was commissioned by ASICS and carried out by BF Media. All surveys were conducted between 10th May 2021 and 27th May 2021. The sample comprised 6,474 adults from 40 English counties, with a minimum of 150 respondents from each county.
Participants were asked to score themselves out of 100 (0=lowest/100=highest) across 10 emotional (feeling composed, relaxed, positive, content, confident and resilient) and cognitive (feeling alert, calm, focused and energised) traits – the table below shows the average scores per county, ranked in order of average index score:
ABOUT ASICS’ MISSION TO MOVE ONE MILLION MINDS
ASICS is on a mission to uplift one million minds across the world. As a pioneer in sport, ASICS is enabling people to see for the first time the impact of movement on their own mind – with every mind moved contributing to the world’s first live study into the relationship between sport and the mind.
The new Mind Uplifter™ tool enables people to chart the positive impact of sport across 10 emotional and cognitive metrics, showing how different sports boost how they think and feel.
This data feeds into a live global study, capturing individual Mind Uplifts from around the world and visually transforming them into a dynamic and interactive World Uplift Map. The map will quantify the positive impact that sport is having on the collective mood of cities and the world as a whole.
To get involved and not only see and track how sport impacts your mind, but also see real-time results as more people join the study from around the world, simply:
- GO to minduplifter.asics.com to capture your Mind Uplift.
- SCAN your face to read your emotional state.
- ANSWER scientifically-developed questions to gauge your brain function.
- COMPLETE at least 20 minutes of exercise to uplift your mind.
- REPEAT steps two and three.
- GET your Mind Uplift results and SHARE them on your social channels with #UpliftingMinds.
- SEE how your results contribute to the World Uplift Map.