New research has found that people who participate in regular physical activity outside work are not as likely to show signs of depression as those who don't.

A team from the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King's College London and academics from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University of Bergen compiled the study. More than 40,000 Norwegian residents were asked how often they took part in both light and intense physical activity as part of the group's research.

The findings - published in November's issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry - showed that there was an "inverse relationship" between the amount of leisure time activity and symptoms of depression. Meanwhile, people who were not active outside work are twice as likely to display signs of depression. However, the intensity of physical activity appeared to make no difference.

Researchers also revealed that no such relationship between workplace activity and symptoms of depression was found, as well as no "consistent relationship" between physical activity and anxiety. Lead researcher Dr Samuel Harvey of the IoP said: "Our study shows that people who engage in regular leisure-time activity of any intensity are less likely to have symptoms of depression.

"We also found that the context in which activity takes place is vital and that the social benefits associated with exercise, like increased numbers of friends and social support, are more important in understanding how exercise may be linked to improved mental health than any biological markers of fitness."