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There are several areas of research focus in the exercise psychology laboratory. These areas of research interest are described below.
    It is well documented that regular exercise results in a large number of psychological, physical, and physiological benefits. However, exercise can occasionally become a compulsive or excessive behavior with possible harmful effects. Excessive dependence (also referred to as negative addiction, compulsion, or an obsession) is physical activity that is extreme in frequency and duration, relatively resistant to change, and often accompanied by an irresistible impulse to exercise even when injury, fatigue, or other personal demands persist.
         Exercise dependence is considered pathological and a health risk because of its association with injury, psychological burnout, mood disturbance, depression, and eating disorders. Current research topics in laboratory include the development of a self-report measure of exercise dependence (the Exercise Dependence Scale), correlates of exercise dependence, and developing a conceptual model of exercise dependence.

   Membership and involvement in groups is a pervasive characteristic of our society. We enter life as a member of society's strongest and most significant group--the family. As we grow and develop, we become members of and are influenced by other important groups in social and work settings. In group settings, we influence the behavior, cognitions, and attitudes of other people and, in turn, we are influenced. The need to belong to a group, the desire for interpersonal attachments, is a fundamental human motivation. Laboratory research has focused on several aspects of groups dynamics in exercise; for example, the influence of family/friends on exercise adherence.

   Contemporary society exerts tremendous pressure on individuals to present their appearance in a positive manner. For women, a lean and fit body represents the ideal physique, whereas the expectation for men is a body that is lean and attractive. Individuals with severe body image dissatisfaction may attempt to control or change their body size or shape by engaging in pathological eating and dieting behaviors. In particular, the eating disorders of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behaviors and are associated with serious medical, psychological, and social problems. Research has shown that the incidence and prevalence of eating disorders has been increasing in recent decades and currently represents a major health problem in Western societies. One population in particular has been considered at high

   The evidence supporting the benefits of regular physical activity in disease prevention and treatment has steadily accumulated. To reap the health benefits of regular physical activity, national policy objectives to increase physical activity by the year 2010 were established; these objectives, however, will not be met. Thus, facilitating physical activity adoption and adherence continues to remain a challenge given that up to 60% of U.S. adults are sedentary (Caspersen, Merritt, & Stephens, 1994) and that approximately 50% of sedentary adults beginning an exercise program will drop out within 6 months (Dishman, 1988).
         To better promote the adoption and maintenance of regular exercise, some researchers have applied theories that view exercise behavior as a dynamic and multidetermined process. Despite the numerous physical and psychological benefits of exercise the majority of North Americans are sedentary. Thus, examining determinants of exercise behavior and interventions to increase exercise behavior are of paramount importance from a public health standpoint. Current research involves application of various theoretical models (e.g., Theory of Planned Behavior, Trantheoretical Model, Self-presentation, and Self-efficacy) to explain, predict, and control exercise behavior.
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