Listening to music while running can make up for mental tiredness

Research from the University of Edinburgh has found that listening to music while running can improve people's performance when they are mentally fatigued.

Listening to music while running can make up for mental tiredness

Listening to music while running can help improve people's performance when they are mentally tired, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh discovered that the performance of runners who listened to a self-selected music playlist as they ran after completing a demanding thinking task was at the same level as when they were not mentally fatigued.

The experts helped the 18 running enthusiasts choose the motivational songs during the study with participants tuning in to the 'Rocky III' theme tune 'Eye of the Tiger'.

Dr. Shaun Phillips, of the University of Edinburgh's Moray House School of Education and Sport, said: "The findings indicate that listening to self-selected motivational music may be a useful strategy to help active people improve their endurance running capacity and performance when mentally fatigued."