Mental fatigue resulting from cognitive activities or daily stress subjectively increases the perceived difficulty of physical exertion (perceived exertion) without actually diminishing your real physiological capabilities, a phenomenon that can be mitigated by listening to chosen music.

noli's read

Scientific literature largely confirms that mental fatigue (often studied through prolonged cognitive tasks) degrades endurance performance by increasing perceived exertion (meta-analysis by McMorris et al., 2018). The moderating role of music is documented by several studies, including the one cited by the community (Lam et al., 2021), suggesting an effect on motivation and attentional focus. The distinction between 'active' fatigue (demanding tasks) and 'passive' fatigue (boredom) explored by Pickering et al. (2024) is an interesting emerging line of research, although the evidence remains to be consolidated. Forum members converge on a clear consensus: daily mental stress directly influences the quality of training sessions, and many validate the use of music as a management tool. What is sometimes exaggerated in informal discussions is the idea that one could completely 'trick' the brain into ignoring this fatigue, whereas it seems to reflect a real need for nervous system recovery. The psychological aspect (mental resilience) is recognized as an essential complementary factor, but it does not replace the physiological limits imposed by lack of sleep or excessive mental load.

the sources

1. 1r/AdvancedRunning