Abstract
Systematic review of psychological levers on endurance: self-talk, imagery, goal setting, and other skills help when they shift perception of effort; mental fatigue undermines it.
McCormick, A., Meijen, C., & Marcora, S. (2015). Sports Medicine, 45(7), 997–1015. DOI
Key findings
- Effort as mediator — interventions that lower RPE reliably improve endurance outcomes in the reviewed trials.
- Fatigue tax — mental fatigue raises effort perception and shortens performance.
Limits
Heterogeneous study quality · sport/lab mix — use as effort-perception spine, not a universal grit recipe.
Application
Cite beside Perception of pain when members need evidence that discomfort is partly appraised, then trainable.