Interesting news over at the WaPo on Performance-Enhancing Placebos.
As reported last month by the American Council on Exercise, a study conducted by a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse exercise physiology graduate student "showed that runners clocked faster 5-K times after drinking what they thought was super-oxygenated water, but in fact was tap water."
Tee-hee!
The study "was designed to determine whether a person's belief that he had used one of the new products might have a placebo effect."
Guess what? "Sure enough, 27 of the 32 people [in the study] ran faster—an average of 83 seconds quicker—after downing the phony pint than after drinking the regular bottled water."
The data suggests that "less-experienced (or at least less-skilled) runners are easier to fool into performing better."
So please, I'm beggin' ya, bring on the magic potions—bottled oxygen, whatever!— to convince me I can and will run faster.
14 comments:
Mind over matter, baby... mind over matter. I think that's why visualizing success works so well. You can convince your brain that you've already been success at it, so it's easy to do so again.
Just read The Biology of Belief! Good stuff. :)
I love the placebo effect!!!
I'm thinking a new drink called 'Obecalp Endurance' would sell like hotcakes...look what it did for Evian (or am I 'naive'?)
I gotta stop being so skeptic and EMBRACE this stuff...PRs here I come!
POOF! You can run a 10:30 pace over 12 miles, no problem.
It's about the journey, Jeanne. And what a journey you're having.
What? Runners might be irrational and superstitious? I'm shocked! SHOCKED!
That's a great study.
blah blah blah.
i did my part.
where's my wright sock product review as agreed to?
hmmmmmmmm?
:::sprinkling magic dust on your blog:::::
I do remember some company trying to sell super-oxygenated water over the internet a few weeks ago.
I guessed back then that it was tap water, and this just about confirms my guess.
whatever works, can i get some for my race on saturday?
If you figure out the extact combo of magic potions, please be sure to share it!!
Ah, the power of marketing! I fall for it with running shoes. :-)
Oh...this would easily make me run faster...just goes to show how mental running really is.
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