Some marathon runners develop selective amnesia, forgetting over time just how much they hurt.
If you’ve ever run a marathon or participated in any sort endurance race, you know how painful the end is: blisters, cramping, general soreness … everywhere. But yet, we continue to sign up for them. Why?
A new study seems to offer an explanation, stating that some marathon runners develop selective amnesia, forgetting over time just how much they hurt. The study also found that in general, pain associated with a positive experience will be perceived as less excruciating than pain resulting from something rotten.
Take childbirth, for instance. Presumably accompanied by joy, childbirth, for the most part, is excruciatingly painful. However, women often forget much of the pain caused by labor and delivery and continue to bear more children.
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Correspondingly, the researchers found that runners who had reported less happiness at the race’s end generally later remembered their pain more accurately than those who were overjoyed after crossing the finish line, even if their pain at the time had been about the same.
ForMen takeaway: The study suggests that not having fun sharpens your recall of pain, which can be highly unmotivating. So it is probably a good idea to stick to doing physical activities that you enjoy!
Relevant source:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/forgetting-the-pain-of-exercise/?src=me&_r=0Curated from The New York Times
