An increasing body of research suggests that physical activity, exercise, and sports enhance a wide range of cognitive and affective wellbeing, including attention, executive functions, memory and learning, creativity, stress resilience, and mental health. Engaging in regular physical activity has also been associated with a reduced risk of many neurological and psychiatric disorders, notably dementia, major depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders. However, firstly, it is still unclear what kind of physical activity, exercise, and sports conducted on how long a timescale brings maximal benefits to a specific outcome for a specific population. Secondly, how findings reported so far can be incorporated into daily practice by the general public and in educational, neurological, and psychiatric contexts remain unaddressed. Thirdly, the underlying psychological, physiological, and neurobiological mechanisms through which physical activity, exercise, and sports promote cognitive and affective wellbeing remain to be clarified. Several potential mechanisms have been proposed, including the activation of the prefrontal cortices and the dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission, the release of neurotrophins, the enhancement of neural plasticity and neurogenesis, and the decrease of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.