EasyBreezyMind
1 peer-reviewed source, DOI-verifiedUpdated Oct 1, 2026How we verify
Walking is free, low-impact and available to almost everyone. This 2024 meta-analysis pooled 75 randomized trials to see how much it helps with anxiety and low mood.
| Study type | Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials |
|---|---|
| Who took part | 8,636 participants across 75 trials |
| What was compared | Different forms of walking vs. inactive and active controls |
| Published | JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 2024 |
| Free to read | Full text on PubMed Central |
| Licence | Open access, Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) |
What the researchers did
The authors searched seven databases and pooled trials measuring depressive and anxiety symptoms, comparing walking with inactive controls and with other active treatments.
What they found
- Walking significantly reduced anxiety symptoms compared with inactive controls (26 trials, SMD −0.45).
- It also reduced depressive symptoms (SMD −0.59).
- Benefits appeared across different frequencies, durations, indoor or outdoor settings and group or solo formats.
- For depressive symptoms, walking performed comparably to active controls.
What this doesn’t prove
- There was substantial variation between studies.
- The authors call for more evidence on low-intensity walking.
How to use this
Build walks into your day — short breaks count. Compare walking with other habits in our Evidence Matrix.
Walking significantly reduced anxiety symptoms compared with inactive controls (26 RCTs, SMD −0.45), across different frequencies, durations, indoor or outdoor settings and group or solo formats.
Summary written by EasyBreezyMind in our own words. Original article: Xu Z, et al. (2024). The Effect of Walking on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance. doi:10.2196/48355. © The authors. Published open access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence. This summary is educational and is not endorsed by the authors.