Determinants of footwear perception in running shoes with different compression stiffnesses

Running shoe midsole cushioning is critical in comfort perception and running performance. Optimizing the midsole stiffness could help reduce injury risk and enhance performance by aligning shoe properties with individual runner preferences. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the multifactorial relationships between biomechanical, physiological, sensorimotor, and socio-cultural factors influencing individual perceptions of shoes with varying midsole cushioning stiffnesses. Nineteen participants performed treadmill runs in two shoe conditions with varying midsole stiffness. Biomechanical and metabolic data, as well as subjective assessments of comfort, cushioning, and stability, were collected. The results revealed that stability perception was primarily driven by a socio-cultural factor, stability importance (β = −0.74, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), and a biomechanical parameter, step frequency (β = −0.56, <i>p</i> = 0.04), collectively explaining 56% of variance (<i>p</i> = 0.03). In contrast, neither cushioning perception nor comfort perception could be significantly predicted by any biomechanical, physiological, sensorimotor or socio-cultural variables (<i>p</i> = 0.31 − 0.83). Overall, our findings suggest that parameters across different domains (biomechanical, physiological, sensorimotor, and socio-cultural) may determine the perception of shoe stability in runners. The strong relationships with individual attitudes and biomechanical parameters underscore the need for personalized approaches in running shoe cushioning design. Furthermore, since such attitudes can be shaped, e.g. through marketing initiatives, these findings highlight the importance of a proper alignment between marketing claims and biomechanical findings relating to injury risk and performance improvements through midsole characteristics.