Dr. Zachary Zenko joined CSUB’s Department of Kinesiology in 2018. He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education with a focus on human performance from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, his master’s in health and physical activity from the University of Pittsburgh and his Ph.D. in kinesiology from Iowa State University. He was also a postdoctoral associate at Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight. His research focuses on the pleasure and displeasure people feel when exercising.

More on Dr. Zenko’s research

“I study the pleasure and displeasure people experience as they exercise and decision-making processes that predict physical activity and exercise behavior. I incorporate behavioral economics into my research and adopt a dual-process framework, which suggests that both rational and nonrational (sometimes irrational) processes influence behavior. This contrasts with most traditional theories in exercise psychology, which evolved from a cognitivist paradigm and implicitly or explicitly assume that people make decisions rationally. While many traditional theories, in one way or another, suggest that the way to change behavior is to provide information (e.g., about the many benefits of exercise), my research adopts the assumption that people must also have automatic, pleasant associations with physical activity and exercise. This means that people must feel pleasure and enjoyment of exercise for adherence to be likely. This also means that I believe that 'No pain, no gain' is one of the worst catchphrases used in the fitness industry.”

What the research looks like in practice:

“My research has historically taken place in the lab or field, but I have also used survey research and collected data exclusively online or using computerized tasks. This has become more frequent as the COVID-19 pandemic restricts my ability to collect data in face-to-face, laboratory settings. Typically, when people come to the laboratory, I put them through various exercise protocols and measure both physiological and psychological variables. This has allowed me to explore how things like exercise intensity influence the pleasure and displeasure people experience.”

The real-world impacts of the research:

“My ultimate goal is to promote physical activity and exercise behavior. Most people know that active lifestyles are very healthy and beneficial for physical and mental health. Unfortunately, many people are insufficiently active. We have lots of work to do.”

Why Dr. Zenko is passionate about his research:

“Regular exercise has been linked to improved cardiovascular health, improved cognitive functioning, reduced risk of metabolic disease, reduced risk of cancer, improved mental health (including reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression), better weight management and improved quality of life. I hope that my research helps people adhere to active lifestyles so that they can experience these and many more benefits of exercise. I want to help everyone experience the joy and pleasure of movement.”