Why does exercising with friends benefit our workouts? New BBC Ideas film featuring Oxford's social scientist

The second short film produced as part of a partnership between the Social Sciences Division and BBC Ideas is released today.

"The surprising benefits of exercising with friends" is the second in a series of four films to be released over the coming weeks, all part of the second year of this partnership aimed at harnessing Oxford’s academic research excellence to explore ideas that challenge and inform viewers, engaging new audiences with Social Sciences research in the process. 

The surprising benefits of exercising with friends 

Did you know that exercising with friends comes with its own unexpected benefits?

Research by Oxford's Dr Arran Davis shows that exercising in a group can improve performance as well as relationships, and that can be applied to group activities like singing in a choir or dancing too. In this article, Dr Davis explains the research behind the video, answering some key questions about his research carried out in collaboration with Professor Emma Cohen.

BBC Ideas produces a variety of thought-provoking short films and videos aimed at a general audience of under-35s that are designed to offer a fresh perspective across a broad range of topics and issues. All the films (including previous ones) can be viewed on the Expand your mind with the University of Oxford playlist on BBC Ideas website.