In The Runner’s High, Dan Sturn describes tears streaming down his face during mile seven of his morning jog. “I flew closer and closer to the place mystics and shamans and acidheads all try to describe. Each moment became precious. I felt simultaneously all alone and completely connected.”

The joy of collective effervescence helps explain why fitness friendships and sports teams feel like family; why social movements that include physical movement inspire greater solidarity and hope; and why individuals feel empowered when they join others to walk, run, or ride for a cure.

Oliver Sacks wrote, “When listening to music, we listen with our muscles.” One

We humans have our own forms of social grooming, including shared laughter, singing, dancing, and storytelling. (Anthropologists think this is the likely order that these social behaviors first appeared in human history.)

Human beings are hardwired to take pleasure in the activities, experiences, and mental states that help us survive.

Exercise has, at various times in my life, rescued me from isolation and despair, fostered courage and hope, reminded me how to experience joy, and given me a place to belong.

Around the world, people who are physically active are happier and more satisfied with their lives. This is true whether their preferred activity is walking, running, swimming, dancing, biking, playing sports, lifting weights, or practicing yoga. People who are regularly active have a stronger sense of purpose, and they experience more gratitude, l

numerous studies have shown that for regular exercisers, missing a single workout can lead to anxiety and irritability. Three days without exercise induces symptoms of depression, and one week of abstinence can produce severe mood disturbances and insomnia.

space to develop if I hadn’t stepped into the instructor’s role? Would I have become someone who sees the good in others if I hadn’t first benefited from my students’ positive projections?