‘Runner’s high’, the feeling of euphoria experienced after exercising, has been discovered to provide a similar effect to smoking marijuana, by triggering the brain’s cannabinoid receptors to relieve pain, reports the Daily Mail.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Oxford University, examined cannabinoid receptors in mice after running. They first conditioned the mice to run on a treadmill, which were later separated into two groups. One of the groups did nothing, while the other ran on a treadmill for five hours, the Medical Xpress reported.
The experiment results showed that group of mice that ran displayed symptoms of ‘runner’s high’ by being less anxious and more capable of tolerating pain. This study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
