The bright side of sports: a systematic review on well-being, positive emotions and performance

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review regarding the relationship between positive psychological factors, such as psychological well-being and pleasant emotions, and sports performance. Method: This study, carried out through a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines considering the Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed and SPORT Discus databases, seeks to highlight the relationship between other more ‘positive’ factors, such as well-being, positive emotions and sports performance. Settings: The keywords will be decided by a Delphi Method in two rounds with sport psychology experts. Participants: There are no participants in the present research. Assessment: The main exclusion criteria were: Non-sport thema, sample younger or older than 20–65 years old, qualitative or other methodology studies, COVID-related, journals not exclusively about Psychology. Main outcomes measures: We obtained a first sample of 238 papers, and finally, this sample was reduced to the final sample of 11 papers. Results: The results obtained are intended to be a representation of the ‘bright side’ of sports practice, and as a complement or mediator of the negative variables that have an impact on athletes’ and coaches’ performance. Conclusions: Clear recognition that acting on intrinsic motivation continues to be the best and most effective way to motivate oneself to obtain the highest levels of performance, a good perception of competence and a source of personal satisfaction.