Study: When women watch, men find running feels easier

By Scott Douglas

Research and the Wellesley scream tunnel at the Boston Marathon have collided: In a study published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, men reported running a given pace felt easier when they were being watched by women.

British researchers had 10 male runners do moderately paced 20-minute runs under three conditions: with no one watching; with a woman appearing after 10 minutes to watch; and with a man appearing after 10 minutes to watch. Then the runners were asked to rate their perceived effort during the three runs, which were all at the same pace.

When they knew they were being watched by a woman, the men rated their perceived effort at that pace as lower than when they weren't being watched; that is, running felt easier. When they knew they were being watched another man, the runners' perceived effort went up.

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