The Bearmore Mood Report
Published: 4th Nov 2025 | Last updated: 4th Nov 2025
At Bearmore, we think about habits and mood a lot.
Let’s face it, in the heat of the moment, mood often decides whether you’ll actually do something or not. When mood is low, even things we know are good for us can feel out of reach, while a good chance of a better mood can make starting an activity seem easier or even appealing.
Mood may well be a gatekeeper for what we actually do, and for what we keep doing. How we feel straight after doing any activity may influence whether we want to do it again.
We wanted to see what insights we could glean around mood that would be useful when it comes time for you to decide what you’ll try or keep doing regularly.
We looked at the data across 3,110 sessions from 640 users to find out what was happening with mood. Keep reading to see whether the data supports or challenges your ideas about your favourite activities. Read all the way to the end to confirm your suspicions about CrossFit...
About the data: scope & limits
The following insights are drawn from Bearmore self-reported session data during our pre-launch and launch phase (1 Apr – 25 Oct 2025; 3,110 sessions; 640 users).
Users rated current mood pre- and post- activity session on a visual analogue scale (1= Poor, 2 = Neutral, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent).
Cells with n<7 excluded. Correlation ≠ causation. Not medical advice. Patterns shown are descriptive only; statistical significance testing pending.
Think of the below takeaways as preliminary observations that can inform your experimentation, as opposed to definitive recommendations.
What to take from this report if you’re in a hurry
Check the top 20 list below and try something near the top that appeals to you.
If you’re looking for a fast improvement in mood, try a cold plunge or cold shower.
If you don’t feel like getting cold, try breath work or gratitude.
None of those take your fancy? Listen to or create music.
For all activities (except cold exposure), a 10-19 minute practice duration appears to be the sweet spot for improving mood.
The more focused you are in a session, the more your mood tends to improve.
Morning or early evening sessions seem to work best. The 2-3pm window might be worth avoiding.
If you’re trying something new and enjoying it, stick with it. Mood often improves over the first 8 times you repeat an activity.
Our top 9 insights on mood
1.
Want to improve your mood?
Here’s the top 20 activities
Key finding
38 out of our 39 activities showed a positive average mood change. The top 20 you see here are where the biggest average mood changes were recorded, and there’s something in the mix for everyone. Physical activities as well as ones where you can be still and seated. Things to do with others, or alone. And plenty of options for when you want to feel more energised, or when you’re ready to wind things down.
What to try
To improve your current mood, choose an activity near the top of the list that you like the look of and give it a go. Start with something simple to set up so you can focus on how it feels, rather than getting caught up in the logistics.
Specifics and limitations
When interpreting the patterns we see in mood changes, it’s important to consider starting mood. If an activity is only (or often) chosen when people already feel excellent, the data won’t show positive changes associated with that activity because users are starting at the top (ceiling) of our mood scale. In reverse, if an activity is always the go-to when users are at their lowest mood (floor), we would not see the full scope of negative changes in mood associated with that activity.
Our top 9 insights on mood
1.
Want to improve your mood?
Here’s the top 20 activities
Key finding
38 out of our 39 activities showed a positive average mood change. The top 20 you see here are where the biggest average mood changes were recorded, and there’s something in the mix for everyone. Physical activities as well as ones where you can be still and seated. Things to do with others, or alone. And plenty of options for when you want to feel more energised, or when you’re ready to wind things down.
What to try
To improve your current mood, choose an activity near the top of the list that you like the look of and give it a go. Start with something simple to set up so you can focus on how it feels, rather than getting caught up in the logistics.
Specifics and limitations
When interpreting the patterns we see in mood changes, it’s important to consider starting mood. If an activity is only (or often) chosen when people already feel excellent, the data won’t show positive changes associated with that activity because users are starting at the top (ceiling) of our mood scale. In reverse, if an activity is always the go-to when users are at their lowest mood (floor), we would not see the full scope of negative changes in mood associated with that activity.
2.
Shudder… cold exposure offers the best per-minute return
Key finding
Cold plunge and cold showers led both mood-per-minute and overall average mood increase. 1-4 minute sessions showed greater per-minute results than 5-9 minute sessions for both activities. Keeping cold exposure sessions short makes sense; it’s both safer, and more efficient for improving your mood.
What to try
Cold showers are the most accessible way to try cold exposure if you don’t have a cold plunge or easy access to the ocean or a lake. Check what duration and frequency are most appropriate for you, and build up duration gradually if you’re starting out.
Specifics and limitations
Our dataset currently contains 66 sessions across cold plunge and cold shower. That said, not one cold exposure session was associated with a negative mood change.
Although longer sessions showed a greater improvement overall, it’s interesting to note that on a per-minute basis, mood change was higher for shorter compared to longer sessions across both types of cold exposure. The biggest bang-for-buck was at the beginning.
- Cold plunge per-minute change: 1-4 minutes = 0.26 vs. 5-9 minutes = 0.17
- Cold shower per-minute change: 1-4 minutes = 0.35 vs. 5-9 minutes = 0.26
Cryotherapy was not included, as there weren’t >7 sessions logged.
2.
Shudder… cold exposure offers the best per-minute return
Key finding
Cold plunge and cold showers led both mood-per-minute and overall average mood increase. 1-4 minute sessions showed greater per-minute results than 5-9 minute sessions for both activities. Keeping cold exposure sessions short makes sense; it’s both safer, and more efficient for improving your mood.
What to try
Cold showers are the most accessible way to try cold exposure if you don’t have a cold plunge or easy access to the ocean or a lake. Check what duration and frequency are most appropriate for you, and build up duration gradually if you’re starting out.
Specifics and limitations
Our dataset currently contains 66 sessions across cold plunge and cold shower. That said, not one cold exposure session was associated with a negative mood change.
Although longer sessions showed a greater improvement overall, it’s interesting to note that on a per-minute basis, mood change was higher for shorter compared to longer sessions across both types of cold exposure. The biggest bang-for-buck was at the beginning.
- Cold plunge per-minute change: 1-4 minutes = 0.26 vs. 5-9 minutes = 0.17
- Cold shower per-minute change: 1-4 minutes = 0.35 vs. 5-9 minutes = 0.26
Cryotherapy was not included, as there weren’t >7 sessions logged.
3.
Not feeling great? Breath work and gratitude can help
Key finding
If you’re feeling off (or even just neutral) and want to improve your mood but don’t feel like getting cold, try breath work or gratitude. They were associated with strong per-minute improvements in mood on average, but especially when starting mood was low or neutral.
What to try
When trying breath work or gratitude, aim for 10–19 minutes. However, shorter sessions still show decent average improvements if you’re short on time.
Specifics and limitations
With breath work we saw an average mood increase of 0.06 per minute, and with gratitude practice 0.03 per minute. When starting mood was low or neutral, these shifts jumped to 0.09 per minute for breath work, and 0.07 per minute for gratitude.
When starting from a low or neutral mood, we only saw mood increases associated with these activities, no sessions were linked to a mood decrease.
3.
Not feeling great? Breath work and gratitude can help
Key finding
If you’re feeling off (or even just neutral) and want to improve your mood but don’t feel like getting cold, try breath work or gratitude. They were associated with strong per-minute improvements in mood on average, but especially when starting mood was low or neutral.
What to try
When trying breath work or gratitude, aim for 10–19 minutes. However, shorter sessions still show decent average improvements if you’re short on time.
Specifics and limitations
With breath work we saw an average mood increase of 0.06 per minute, and with gratitude practice 0.03 per minute. When starting mood was low or neutral, these shifts jumped to 0.09 per minute for breath work, and 0.07 per minute for gratitude.
When starting from a low or neutral mood, we only saw mood increases associated with these activities, no sessions were linked to a mood decrease.
4.
Music, the not-so-quiet achiever
Key finding
Listening to and creating music both performed well overall. Roughly half of all sessions (40-50%) showed mood improvement, none showed decreases, and both activities ranked in the top 10 for mood improvement per minute and overall.
What to try
It doesn’t matter too much if you’re making it or just appreciating it. Listening to music rates slightly higher overall but on a per-minute basis they offer very similar returns!
Specifics and limitations
From the 62 sessions in our dataset, the improvements in mood linked to music only showed up when people were genuinely enjoying it in the moment. When enjoyment was low, we didn’t see the mood improvement.
4.
Music, the not-so-quiet achiever
Key finding
Listening to and creating music both performed well overall. Roughly half of all sessions (40-50%) showed mood improvement, none showed decreases, and both activities ranked in the top 10 for mood improvement per minute and overall.
What to try
It doesn’t matter too much if you’re making it or just appreciating it. Listening to music rates slightly higher overall but on a per-minute basis they offer very similar returns!
Specifics and limitations
From the 62 sessions in our dataset, the improvements in mood linked to music only showed up when people were genuinely enjoying it in the moment. When enjoyment was low, we didn’t see the mood improvement.
5.
Give it a chance! 10-19 minute sessions tend to work twice as well
Key finding
On average, doing an activity for 10–19 minutes tended to work about twice as well as keeping it under five minutes. Anything longer still performed well, but the biggest jump happened once passing the 5-minute mark, where it continued climbing until hitting the 20-39 minute bracket.
What to try
Whatever activity you choose, 10 minutes or more seems to work best. Cold exposure is the exception, as benefits taper off and risks rise with longer sessions.
Specifics and limitations
All sessions under 1 minute or over 6 hours were excluded from the dataset, as these are most likely due to logging errors. It’s also worth noting that some activities, such as cold plunge, cold showers, and cryotherapy, should not be practiced for durations longer than 10 minutes in most cases.
5.
Give it a chance! 10-19 minute sessions tend to work twice as well
Key finding
On average, doing an activity for 10–19 minutes tended to work about twice as well as keeping it under five minutes. Anything longer still performed well, but the biggest jump happened once passing the 5-minute mark, where it continued climbing until hitting the 20-39 minute bracket.
What to try
Whatever activity you choose, 10 minutes or more seems to work best. Cold exposure is the exception, as benefits taper off and risks rise with longer sessions.
Specifics and limitations
All sessions under 1 minute or over 6 hours were excluded from the dataset, as these are most likely due to logging errors. It’s also worth noting that some activities, such as cold plunge, cold showers, and cryotherapy, should not be practiced for durations longer than 10 minutes in most cases.
6.
Avoid the 2-3pm slump if you’re after a better mood
Key finding
Sessions started between 2 and 3pm showed about half the average mood improvement of other times of day. This wasn’t explained by starting mood, as people begin these sessions feeling fine. Their mood just wasn’t improving as much afterward.
What to try
If you’re interested in improving your mood, you might be better off sticking to the hours before 2pm and the hours after 3pm for your sessions.
Specifics and limitations
Our dataset currently includes 101 sessions logged by 38 users that started between 2 and 3pm in their local timezone.
6.
Avoid the 2-3pm slump if you’re after a better mood
Key finding
Sessions started between 2 and 3pm showed about half the average mood improvement of other times of day. This wasn’t explained by starting mood, as people begin these sessions feeling fine. Their mood just wasn’t improving as much afterward.
What to try
If you’re interested in improving your mood, you might be better off sticking to the hours before 2pm and the hours after 3pm for your sessions.
Specifics and limitations
Our dataset currently includes 101 sessions logged by 38 users that started between 2 and 3pm in their local timezone.
7.
For best results, bring your focus
Key finding
Trying to continue while completely distracted appears to have a negative effect on your mood. If you can’t focus at all, it might be worth stopping and coming back later. But the moment you can bring even a bit of focus back, mood can improve quickly.
What to try
Focus isn’t always something you can just switch on because you want to, but there are things that might help. Try putting your phone on DND, give yourself a few minutes to settle in before you start so you can let go of whatever else is on your mind, or experiment with trying the session at a different time of day.
Specifics and limitations
Average mood change went from -0.02 when not focused, to +0.24 when slightly focused, and +0.50 when highly focused. We saw a similar trend with post-session enjoyment ratings. In general, not enjoying an activity at all was linked with a decrease in mood, though some improvement was still possible as long as the session didn’t go much over 20 minutes.
7.
For best results, bring your focus
Key finding
Trying to continue while completely distracted appears to have a negative effect on your mood. If you can’t focus at all, it might be worth stopping and coming back later. But the moment you can bring even a bit of focus back, mood can improve quickly.
What to try
Focus isn’t always something you can just switch on because you want to, but there are things that might help. Try putting your phone on DND, give yourself a few minutes to settle in before you start so you can let go of whatever else is on your mind, or experiment with trying the session at a different time of day.
Specifics and limitations
Average mood change went from -0.02 when not focused, to +0.24 when slightly focused, and +0.50 when highly focused. We saw a similar trend with post-session enjoyment ratings. In general, not enjoying an activity at all was linked with a decrease in mood, though some improvement was still possible as long as the session didn’t go much over 20 minutes.
8.
Stick with it for 8 sessions!
Key finding
The first eight sessions show a general upward trend in average mood change, peaking around session 8.
What to try
If you’re trying something new and enjoying it, stick with it for at least 8 sessions.
Specifics and limitations
Mood changes showed an upward trajectory from +0.36 in session 1 to +0.53 by session 8, then trended down through session 11 before rebounding at session 12.
Note: This pattern may partly reflect limited data, as Bearmore has only recently launched. We currently have enough data for 10 activities that were repeated between 9 and 12 times, and for 5 activities that were repeated between 13 and 16 times.
Also, the dataset does not capture how many times a user had done an activity before logging sessions in Bearmore, so it assumes each user is new to an activity in their first recorded session. We will continue to monitor this as more data comes in, noting that it may reflect other factors we are still exploring.
8.
Stick with it for 8 sessions!
Key finding
The first eight sessions show a general upward trend in average mood change, peaking around session 8.
What to try
If you’re trying something new and enjoying it, stick with it for at least 8 sessions.
Specifics and limitations
Mood changes showed an upward trajectory from +0.36 in session 1 to +0.53 by session 8, then trended down through session 11 before rebounding at session 12.
Note: This pattern may partly reflect limited data, as Bearmore has only recently launched. We currently have enough data for 10 activities that were repeated between 9 and 12 times, and for 5 activities that were repeated between 13 and 16 times.
Also, the dataset does not capture how many times a user had done an activity before logging sessions in Bearmore, so it assumes each user is new to an activity in their first recorded session. We will continue to monitor this as more data comes in, noting that it may reflect other factors we are still exploring.
9.
Oh, and you’re right to be suspicious about CrossFit
Key finding
HIIT ranked third for positive mood change and also interestingly, second for negative mood change. In other words, it might make you feel noticeably better or noticeably worse, depending on the session.
What to try
Use HIIT when you have the capacity for intensity, or when you already know it tends to work well for you, and if you enjoy it.
Specifics and limitations
Though we still need more data to confirm (we have 31 HIIT sessions logged so far), the mood impact of HIIT appears to depend strongly on how much people enjoy it. When users reported loving their HIIT session, it showed the largest average mood improvement compared to all other activities with a loved it rating.
For the 10 HIIT sessions rated loved it, the average mood change was +1.1, and every session showed a positive mood outcome. In contrast, for the 19 sessions rated enjoyed it, the average mood change was +0.26, with 42 percent showing improvement and 21 percent showing a drop.
We do not yet have enough data to compare results for other enjoyment ratings: did not enjoy = 1 session, slightly enjoyed = 1 session.
9.
Oh, and you’re right to be suspicious about CrossFit
Key finding
HIIT ranked third for positive mood change and also interestingly, second for negative mood change. In other words, it might make you feel noticeably better or noticeably worse, depending on the session.
What to try
Use HIIT when you have the capacity for intensity, or when you already know it tends to work well for you, and if you enjoy it.
Specifics and limitations
Though we still need more data to confirm (we have 31 HIIT sessions logged so far), the mood impact of HIIT appears to depend strongly on how much people enjoy it. When users reported loving their HIIT session, it showed the largest average mood improvement compared to all other activities with a loved it rating.
For the 10 HIIT sessions rated loved it, the average mood change was +1.1, and every session showed a positive mood outcome. In contrast, for the 19 sessions rated enjoyed it, the average mood change was +0.26, with 42 percent showing improvement and 21 percent showing a drop.
We do not yet have enough data to compare results for other enjoyment ratings: did not enjoy = 1 session, slightly enjoyed = 1 session.
Closing notes
We built Bearmore to give people a strong, reliable pathway into benefiting their health, wellbeing, and happiness.
This first citizen-science report offers an early view of what we’re seeing in the data, and it might hold some interesting clues for you. Maybe there’s an activity you’d like to try, a better time of day that works for you, or a different duration that can positively impact your mood.
Try one idea for a few weeks. See what happens. If you like how it’s trending for you, keep it. If not, toss it and try something else. We’ll continue to ask the important questions and learn alongside you.
Bearmore self-reported session data (1 Apr–25 Oct 2025; 3,110 sessions; 640 users). Mood rated pre- and post- on a 4-point VAS (1=Poor, 2=Neutral, 3=Good, 4=Excellent). n<7 excluded. Correlation ≠ causation. Not medical advice. Patterns shown are descriptive only; statistical significance testing pending. Think of the above takeaways as preliminary observations that can inform your experimentation, as opposed to definitive recommendations.
Curious to dig deeper?
If you’re a journalist or media outlet interested in the source data or expert commentary, get in touch here.
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