Abstract
Two experiments show that non-conscious visual cues related to affect and action can lower perceived exertion and extend endurance — evidence that stopping is partly an effort-based decision, not only physiology.
Blanchfield, A., Hardy, J., & Marcora, S. (2014). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8. DOI
Key findings
- Psychobiological stop rule — exhaustion when perceived effort exceeds potential motivation (or feels impossible).
- Cueable RPE — happy-face / action-word primes reduced RPE and lengthened time-to-exhaustion vs sad / inaction primes.
Limits
Lab endurance tasks · subliminal primes · small samples — mechanism claim is effort appraisal, not clinical pain medicine.
Application
Open when Perception of pain or Choosing the right discomfort needs a science spine for playing with how hard the rep feels.