TCU had the happiest student body in the country during the 2022-2023 school year, according to a study done by the Princeton Review.

The ranking was determined by how many smiling students were posted on TCU’s Instagram. However, TCU’s constant promotion of wellness and fitness strongly correlates to all those smiles, said Jay Iorizzo, the director of TCU Campus Recreation.

“When we are living in a good space, happiness is going to come,” he said.

Happiness comes from a place where there is balance, which is why the University Recreation Center ensures to give students resources in a variety of fields. 

“We provide workshops on sleep, healthy relationships, mental health, time management, stress management,” Iorizzo said. 

TCU’s ultimate goal is to provide support through students’ college journey, as it can be really easy to develop imbalances from the pressure of academics and social aspects of school. 

“That’s the foundation of our education, to allow individuals, especially students, to recognize eventually where more focus is needed,” Iorizzo said. 

Aside from providing life balance, health and fitness has been an overall life-changing component for many students at TCU. 

“When I was in high school, I was unmotivated, undisciplined and unhappy,” Aiden Headlee, a junior acting student at TCU, said. “Exercise gave me something to do, to look forward to and to be excited about. It’s still the highlight of almost every day for me.”

Creating thrill is only one of the effects of being active, as exercise has also been a very effective form of therapy for stress and anxiety for students such as Lisette Desousa, a sophomore strategic communication major and Anastasia Matheney, a sophomore business major.

“Exercise has helped me escape from reality. Sports were my life and always allowed me to forget about any test I had to take, for example, and just play,” Desousa said.

“Lifting weights or playing tennis has served as an escape because it feels like its own little world to me; whether on a tennis court or weight room, I am surrounded by like-minded people trying to better ourselves,” Matheney said. 

Even when it is intense and competitive, exercise is a form of peace and a complete reset. 

“Escape is a huge word for me that I like; refresh or recreate oneself,” Iorizzo said.

According to an 11-year study published by the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2017, up to 12% of depression cases among participants could have been prevented with just one hour of exercise every week.

People also learn important life skills through fitness, sometimes redirecting their goals and developing ambitions beyond their own beliefs.

“Exercise is less of an escape and more of a catharsis for me; it’s time to focus on myself and my goals, time for me to build myself up,” Headlee said.

There are many components of wellness, but TCU hopes students find and mitigate their weaknesses and imbalances. 

“It is crucial especially in these years for college students that you embrace all the knowledge that is available to you and all the ways you can put that knowledge into practice,” Iorizzo said.