Research to reveal emotional side of running

Professor Andy Lane is leading the sports research for a new research programme, Emotional Regulation of Others and Self (EROS) and is seeking keen runners who would be willing to participate.

Funded by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council, worth £2.1 million over four years, EROS will see a team of researchers examining different types of psychology covering areas such as work, social and sports. The project is being run with Runners World running magazine who are helping recruit runners through their website.

Participants will need to provide information about their running behaviour and complete questions relating to their feelings when they run.

They will be asked to complete a run and given a set of instructions on how to use a particular mental strategy. Each participant will benefit from personalised feedback.

Professor Lane said: “There are two key objectives. The first is to establish how mental strategies can help sports performance and the second is to find out which is the most effective strategy. One of the strategies we are offering is listening to music and have teamed up with audiofuel, a company that writes music to run to.

“Research that helps understand emotion regulation and how to change it has clear social and economic value and could enhance well-being and performance.”

Professor Lane is one of the country’s leading sports psychologists, whose research includes the mental aspects of preparing for marathon running and the stress for footballers taking penalties.

He will be collaborating with colleagues from contributing disciplines at other institutions.

EROS will look at how environments and people shape moods and emotions, with a view to using their finds to make recommendations such as how coaches can get the best out of athletes.

Anyone who would like to participate in the study can find out more from a link of the homepage of www.runnersworld.co.uk or go to the survey direct.

Participants must register before November 6.

Further information

For media inquiries please contact Emma Kilvert on 01902 322003.