Addiction as a known disease is primarily related to drugs and alcohol, but in recent decades it has become increasingly popular to include behavioral addictions such as gambling, screens, and other activities that, if not pursued, send distress signals. It has been expanded as follows. New Israeli research shows a new kind of behavioral addiction to physical fitness.
The study, published in the Journal of Eating Behavior, was conducted by Dr. Dalit Lev Alley, head of the Department of Sport Psychology and Physical Fitness at Tel Aviv University. Data shows that this addiction is more prevalent among men and usually stems from unreliable childhood communication patterns. For women, on the other hand, it tends to be correlated with body image and eating disorders.
Main suspect: absentee parents during childhood
The study was conducted with 405 participants who worked out for at least four hours each week for the past year or more. Participants were 206 men and 199 women between the ages of 18 and 78. Lev Alley and her team screened for eating disorders and mental disorders, known as comorbidities, and found a high prevalence of them.
The mental state exhibited by some participants was characterized by pathological communication patterns, including anxiety and avoidance of a central figure (usually the mother or father). This can result from the absence of a central figure, causing the child to distrust others and develop abandonment and anxiety.
The disorder can develop from both children who lack the attention of their parents and orphans who are cared for but lack emotional support from their families.
Researchers estimate that approximately 60% of the population has or has had active communication with a central figure in their life as a child or toddler. This will help you learn to trust people and deal with difficult situations yourself.
