Running regularly can actually lead to these changes in your body!

When it comes to "running", many people will feel tired and bored. How can anyone like such a monotonous and painful sport?

But there is a type of people who really love running and tell everyone how great running is.

Image source: screenshot from Xiaohongshu

Does running really make people experience this wonderful joy, or are they just pretending?

Scott Douglas discusses this issue in detail in his book The Power of Running. He is a senior runner in the United States with more than 40 years of running experience. He has served as the senior editor of the authoritative sports magazines Runner's World and Running Times, and has written many best-selling books on running.

People who love running may be secretly experiencing the "peak experience of running"

Those who love running really experience a wonderful happiness - the "runner's high".

The term "runner's high" is an imprecise concept, and different runners describe it differently:

Is it a different state that makes you forget time?

Is it a feeling of effortlessness?

A state of flow? A sense of pleasure?

…

A research team defines it as a change in pain, anxiety, calmness or happiness. This "peak experience" after running is not just a fantasy, but is actually based on research.

In 2008, three German researchers performed PET scans on the brains of triathletes after they finished a two-hour run. This is an imaging study often used to detect cancer and can show how active the brain is.

The results showed that the subjects' prefrontal cortex and other emotion-related parts of the brain were more active compared to their resting state.

In addition, the monotony, repetition, and long duration of running can also give people a sense of effectiveness in challenging their limits and constantly defeating themselves, which makes them feel excited.

I actually finished running 5 kilometers!

I ran more steadily and faster than yesterday!

I actually held on for another day!

I actually ran and checked in for a month straight!

…

The setting and achievement of each small goal, and every tiny bit of progress, can become a source of joy in running.

In other words, when you see a person running with sweat, panting, and a grim face, you think he is on the verge of collapse, but in fact his brain may be experiencing a wonderful pleasure:

"I'm so awesome! I ran another lap!"

"I'm so awesome! I've improved from yesterday!"

"Ah! It feels so good!"

The more you run, the better

It is a life-saving skill left by human ancestors.

There is a very interesting study that specifically measured the endocannabinoid levels of runners, dogs, and ferrets before and after running. The results showed that the endocannabinoid levels in humans and dogs increased after running, but not in ferrets.

Scientists speculate that this may be related to the role of running in human development, because the ancestors of modern humans and dogs needed to run to get food, but ferrets did not.

"Starting around 1.8 to 2 million years ago, our ancestors adopted a lifestyle that required high levels of physical activity. The physiological changes that occur as a result of exercise are likely a product of this evolutionary history."

"Endocannabinoids and opioids are painkillers or analgesics. During exercise, these neurotransmitters are likely activated to relieve pain, which allows you to move at a faster pace. This allows you to exercise longer than you would without them. As a byproduct, they make you feel pretty good."

"Another possibility is that this is a behavior that could have been stimulated by natural selection. As a hunter-gatherer, this behavior doesn't always seem to be the most sensible behavior - you're expending a lot of energy, and every calorie you consume has to be replaced at some point."

“The way natural selection works is that things that increase reproductive success get retained in the gene pool. So if the combination of a painkiller effect and a neurobiological reward mechanism makes you feel good and makes you a better forager, that combination is likely to be selected for.”

"Of course, to be a successful forager you need to be fit - if you're not willing to get off your Stone Age couch you're going to have a hard time chasing down an antelope or going out for three hours to find food."

In other words, during the process of evolution, human ancestors retained genes that are beneficial to "saving life", such as allowing the brain to release chemicals that make you feel good during long treks.

The scientists say this fits in nicely with previous observations that runners and other trained endurance athletes are able to experience specific mood improvements from exercise.

It has been suggested that these brain chemicals, which also include neurotransmitters such as serotonin and BDNF, are responsible for the improved brain function that comes with exercise. Mood is not simply a reflection of your current brain chemistry. When you run, your body temperature rises.

A slight increase in your body's core temperature can reduce muscle tension, which may make you feel more relaxed and calm, like when you emerge from a sauna. After a run, the elevated body temperature can last for an hour or more, which can create an "aftertaste" effect.

Simply put, running can indeed make your nervous system calmer and your muscles more relaxed, and your brain can quickly capture these pleasant messages, making you think that this is a good feeling and a calm state.

In short, people who run regularly really do experience some kind of “high” and they really do become addicted!

Source: Book "The Power of Running"