Study Says Step Count Can Decrease Depression — Here's How Many You Apparently Need

A recent study found that increasing your daily step count may reduce symptoms — as well as risk — of depression.

The study, conducted by Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, Valentina Díaz-Goñi and Estela Jiménez-López, was published in the JAMA Network Open — a medical journal that publishes peer-reviewed research on a variety of health topics — on Dec. 16. It showed that getting more steps per day was associated with lower rates of depression.

This outcome was discovered after researchers reviewed 33 pre-existing studies involving 96,173 adults. The researchers found that people who walk 5,000 or more steps per day generally felt less depressed than those who walked fewer than 5,000. What’s more, people who walk 7,000 or more steps per day typically have a lower risk of becoming depressed over time.

“Our results showed significant associations between higher numbers of daily steps and fewer depressive symptoms as well as lower prevalence and risk of depression in the general adult population,” the study’s authors wrote. They added that these findings, “suggest that an inclusive, comprehensive public health approach could contribute to preventing depression in adults.”

These findings are also significant as they suggest that people may need fewer steps per day than previously believed to reap significant benefits. “We typically hear it’s good to get 10,000 steps a day, but here, even 7,000 steps seem to translate to better mental health,” Dr. Karmel Choi, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School (who is unaffiliated with the study) told CNN.

Choi also told the outlet that while step count is important, it doesn’t need to be -

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the sole metric by which we measure beneficial movement. 

“Step count is a nice proxy for physical activity, which has been consistently shown to have beneficial effects on depression risk,“ she said, adding, “That said, we should remember that step counts best capture certain kinds of movement, such as walking or running, and may be less well-suited to capture activities like yoga.”

“Choose the metric that is most motivating to you,” she continued. “Whether it’s steps or hours, the mental health literature consistently suggests that moving to some extent is better than not moving at all.”

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Choi was also careful to note that correlation does not necessarily mean causation: 5,000 steps a day may not actually affect depression, and people with depression may merely move less, which could also explain the observed results of the JAMA study.

This research comes at a time when an increasing number of Americans are reporting symptoms of depression. A 2023 Gallup survey found that self-reported rates of depression had increased by 10% between 2015 and 2023. The study also found that one in six Americans were currently in treatment for depression. These were record-breaking numbers for the Gallup survey.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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