MIND GAINS

A new study4 has found positive feedback can improve performance. When runners did a VO2max test, some were falsely told their score was higher than the group average, while others were given no feedback. Two weeks later, the test was repeated; those whose performance had been praised achieved a higher score (by 3.28 per cent) than they had in the first test. The VO2 max in the unpraised group fell by 4.1 per cent.