Examination of exercise addiction and happiness levels of individuals using recreational fitness centers

This study aims to examine the levels of exercise addiction and happiness among individuals who regularly use gyms for recreational purposes. The sample of the study consists of a total of 198 participants, including 142 women and 56 men who regularly exercise in Gümüşhane. As data collection tools, the Exercise Addiction Scale (EAS), the Happiness Scale (HS), and a personal information form were used. For the analysis of the data, t-test for unrelated samples, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses were employed. The research findings indicate that demographic factors such as gender, age, and weekly fitness duration have significant effects on exercise addiction and happiness levels. It was found that men's happiness levels were higher than women's (p<0.01). A significant differentiation in HS scores was observed based on age (p>0.05). As the weekly fitness duration increased, happiness levels also rose; however, excessive exercise was observed to trigger addiction. The study demonstrated that regular exercise helps increase individuals' happiness levels but exercise addiction could negatively impact individuals' psychology beyond a certain point. In conclusion, it was determined that the levels of exercise addiction among individuals who use gyms for recreational purposes vary according to certain demographic factors but generally do not show high levels of addiction tendency. This indicates that regular exercise becomes a habit for individuals but does not reach the level of addiction. When examining happiness levels, it was observed that regular exercise helps individuals cope with stress better and positively affects overall quality of life. Keywords: Exercise addiction, Happiness level, Fitness, Sport psychology