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This systematic review synthesises evidence on exercise-related imagery interventions in non-clinical adult populations, focusing on behavioural and cognitive outcomes. A comprehensive search was conducted in March 2024 across EBSCOhost databases (APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, SPORTDiscus) and the Web of Science Core Collection using Boolean combinations of terms related to imagery, exercise, behaviour, and cognitions. Studies were eligible if they examined exercise imagery in relation to exercise behaviour and/or exercise-related cognitions. Twenty-nine articles (31 independent studies) met inclusion criteria. A descriptive synthesis (no meta-analysis) indicated that imagery-based approaches were often associated with improvements in exercise behaviour (e.g., adherence, initiation, routine maintenance), with multi-session interventions showing more consistent effects than single-session designs. Across cognitive outcomes, imagery was commonly associated with enhanced self-efficacy, more self-determined motivation, and more favourable affective responses during or following exercise, with content-specific patterns observed (e.g., enjoyment/energy imagery aligning with affective outcomes and self-regulatory planning imagery aligning with planning-related constructs). Since the most recent systematic review in 2007, the literature has expanded in volume, diversity of outcomes, and imagery formats (e.g., guided scripts, brief prompts, mental simulation/priming). However, substantial heterogeneity remains in imagery terminology, content, dose, and outcome measurement, limiting direct comparisons across intervention types. Overall, the evidence suggests that exercise imagery is associated with beneficial exercise-related cognitions and behaviours in non-clinical adult samples. This highlights the need for clearer operational definitions and more standardised reporting of imagery delivery while allowing content to be tailored to individual goals and psychological targets.
O’Brien et al. (Sun,) studied this question.