Climbing as Self-Care: The Psychological Benefits of Rock Climbing

The climbing community has long been branded as “counter-culture” or limited to a sub-set of people with a specific adrenaline-seeking personality. However, societal perceptions are starting to shift. Mainstream documentaries like Free Solo have increased public awareness of the sport, and the prevalence of accessible commercial climbing gyms — along with the number of amateur climbers — has grown rapidly in recent years. This shift bodes well for the greater adoption of climbing by all kinds of individuals, and the spread of its unique advantages for mental health. Indeed, climbing is already being used for the benefit of many vulnerable groups, including at-risk youth, and even refugees by such organizations as ClimbAID in Switzerland (Lambert, 2017). 

Research is similarly shifting focus from dissecting the “deviant” or abnormal psychology of extreme sport climbers, to demonstrating the psychological benefits of adventurous nature sports, as well as their capacity for promoting healing and wellbeing in a broader variety of people. For example, Luttenberger et al. (2017) recently provided the first study to show that bouldering (i.e. rock climbing at lower heights without ropes) is an effective treatment method for depression. Climbing has also been shown to regulate emotional disorders like bipolar disorder (Kleinstäuber, 2017), and to combat anxiety and improve self-confidence (Ewert, 2016). 

One notable study by Houge Mackenzie & Hodge (2020) offers a helpful discussion on the relationship between adventure recreation and subjective well-being (SWB), including an analysis of how adventure recreation promotes eudaemonic SWB in particular. Houge Mackenzie & Hodge define adventure recreation as “leisure with uncertainty” and “physical activities utilizing an interaction with the natural environment that contains elements of real or apparent risk” (p. 28). Rock climbing represents one major sub-category of adventure recreation. 

Houge Mackenzie & Hodge argue that participating in adventure recreation allows an individual to meet the three basic psychological needs outlined in self-determination theory (SDT): autonomy, competence, and relatedness. On top of this, adventure recreation provides the added positive psychological benefit of experiencing and participating in nature. Self-determination theory argues that fulfilling these needs increases an individual’s level of subjective well-being — i.e. their sense of purpose, meaning, and life satisfaction — and the ability of climbing specifically to meet these needs is telling. Referencing MacGregor et al. (2014), climbers reported significantly higher levels of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in daily life when compared to a control group. MacGregor et al. further conclude that “regular climbing provides participants with an agentic emotional experience that then benefits their everyday functioning; such benefits are not derived from other (low-risk) activities” (p.175). 

The idea of rock climbing as a treatment for specific disorders and mental illnesses is particularly compelling. Initial findings on the psychological benefits of climbing are clear, and the implications for diverse new therapies warrants additional study. Certain populations may benefit more than the average person from these therapies; additional research is needed on this growing topic.

• References

  Ewert, A. & Aras, D. (2016). The effects of eight weeks sport rock climbing training on anxiety. Acta Medica Mediterranea, 32, 223-230. doi:10.19193/.393-6384_2016_1_35

  Houge Mackenzie, S., & Hodge, K. (2020). Adventure recreation and subjective well-being: A conceptual framework. Taylor & Francis Online, 39(1), 26-40. doi:10.1080/02614367.2019.1577478

  Kleinstäuber, M., Reuter, M., Doll, N., & Fallgatter, A.J. (2017). Rock climbing and acute emotion regulation in patients with major depressive disorder in the context of a psychological inpatient treatment: A controlled pilot trial. Psychol Res Behav Manag, 10, 277-281. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S143830 

  Lambert, K. (2017, September 12). Out on a ledge: The mental health benefits of climbing. Climbing. https://www.climbing.com/people/out-on-a-ledge-the-mental-health-benefits-of-climbing/ 

  Luttenberger, K., Stelzer, E. M., Först, S., Kornhuber, J., Schopper, M., & Book, S. (2015). Indoor rock climbing (bouldering) as a new treatment for depression: Study design of a waitlist-controlled randomized group pilot study and the first results. BMC Psychiatry, 15, 201. doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0585-8

  MacGregor, A., Woodman, T., & Hardy, L. (2014). Risk is good for you: An investigation of the processes and outcomes associated with high-risk sport. Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 46(1), 175. https://www.scapps.org/jems/index.php/1/article/view/936