The issue of control runs through the literature on the psychology of stress. As will be discussed in the final chapter on coping, exercise can be a great stress reducer, but only so long as it is something that seems even remotely desirable. Amazingly, the same is seen in a rat—let a rat run voluntarily in a running wheel, and it makes it feel great. Force a rat to do the same amount of exercise and it gets a massive stress-response.
