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Athletes perform better when exposed to subliminal visual cues

Date:
December 1, 2014
Source:
University of Kent
Summary:
Athletes who are exposed to subliminal visual cues when they are participating in endurance exercise will perform significantly better, a study has demonstrated. Subliminal visual cues are words, pictures or symbols which are unidentifiable in someone’s conscious.
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Subliminal visual cues are words, pictures or symbols which are unidentifiable in someone's conscious.

Conducted by Professor Samuele Marcora in collaboration with colleagues at Bangor University, the research discovered that athletes undergoing endurance exercise who were presented with positive subliminal cues, such as action-related words, including 'go' and 'energy', or were shown happy faces, were able to exercise significantly longer compared to those who were shown sad faces or inaction words.

The words and faces appeared on a digital screen -- placed in front of the athlete -- for less than 0.02 seconds and were masked by other visuals, meaning they were unidentifiable to the participant's conscious.

This research is the first to demonstrate that subliminal visual cues can directly affect performance during exercise. Additionally, it confirms that the perception of how much effort someone thinks they are using can be altered during exercise. This can then have a knock-on effect on their overall endurance capacity.

Professor Marcora is currently exploring ways in which this research could open up new possibilities for athletes to improve their performance during competitions by using technology, such as 'smart glasses', to provide positive subliminal cues.


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Kent. Original written by Katie Newton. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Samuele Marcora et al. Non-conscious visual cues related to affect and action alter perception of effort and endurance performance. Front. Hum. Neurosci, December 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00967

Cite This Page:

University of Kent. "Athletes perform better when exposed to subliminal visual cues." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 December 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141201100423.htm>.
University of Kent. (2014, December 1). Athletes perform better when exposed to subliminal visual cues. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141201100423.htm
University of Kent. "Athletes perform better when exposed to subliminal visual cues." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141201100423.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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