If you’ve ever laced up your sneakers and hit the road for a run, then you understand the joy of the runner’s high. Or at least you think you do. Let’s face it, running can be hard, especially when it is cold, windy, or hilly. But if you’re honest with yourself, you know that the runner’s high will feel so good at the end, even if the actual run is painful.
What scientists used to think
Many runners speak of the runner’s high, which scientists have always touted as coming from the release of endorphins. This would occur for runners when the opioid receptors detect pain and release endorphins to counteract that. This release of endorphins would make a runner feel so good at the end of the run, almost like they were high.
What scientists think now
Although that thought pattern persisted, a new study in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology says that the amazing feeling could be caused by endocannabinoid receptors instead. Endocannabinoid receptors are located in lungs, kidneys, and bone marrow, affecting the way your immune system responds to toxins. This is the equivalent of getting a “tune-up” for your car. Because there are endocannabinoid receptors in so many different parts of your body, they can really reduce pain and promote wellness, giving you that “runner’s high” feeling that you have come to love.
Dr Johannes Fuss, a psychiatry consultant at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany, said, “We found, instead, that running stimulates endocannabinoid release, and based on our present and earlier findings, we conclude that endocannabinoids are responsible for a “runner’s high.”‘
No matter which way you slice it, getting the runner’s high is a great feeling that can leave you with positive vibes for the rest of your day. But unlike what scientists used to think, the endocannabinoid receptors are spread throughout your body and can offer you these positive feelings more extensively than originally thought.
