4 Benefits Of Music On Physical Exercise According To Science

The benefits of music are many, beginning because it can be a field for enjoyment. Some are better known, but others go more unnoticed because they are framed in specific situations.

Thus, today we want to talk about one of the latter, specifically the effect of music on performance when we practice sports. A group of scientists, led by Peter Terry, studied it taking into account information that spans more than a century.

The study on the benefits of music in physical exercise was carried out by Terry, from the University of South Queensland, in Australia, in collaboration with Professor Costas Karageorghis and his team.

The findings were recently published in an article entitled Effects of music on exercise and sport: a meta-analytic review. In this, conclusive evidence is presented on the benefits of music to facilitate and make any type of physical practice more enjoyable.

The study on the benefits of music in exercise

Peter Terry, along with Costas Karageorghis and their respective teams, analyzed 139 available research on the topic. They were published between 1911 and 2017, which is why they span more than a century. The objective was to make a sufficiently complete and reliable summary of the benefits of music in physical exercise.

Exercising while listening to music makes this activity easier and more enjoyable. Taking a very large data sample of thousands of participants, the researchers determined that, in the first place, music provides a physiological benefit. Second, it has an “ergogenic” effect, that is, it improves performance .

This translates into multiple other benefits, which we will talk about shortly.

1. Generate a positive mood

One of the researchers’ findings is that music increases good mood  during physical practice. It has a dissociative effect: it helps the person to abstract from the present situation and evoke relevant and significant situations from the past, or dreams for the future.

This happens when listening to music from personal playlists. That is, it is not enough simply to have access to a melody, but the effect is particularly observed when the person listens to the topics that are within their personal preferences, for one reason or another.

2. Increase physical performance

The improvement in physical performance is what is known as the “ergogenic effect”. It corresponds to the spontaneous increase in exercise production. In other words, if you normally do 30 sit-ups, when listening to music you can do a few more with the same perception of effort.

This basically applies to repetitive aerobic exercises. The effect occurs when the activity is tuned to the rhythm of the melody. The researchers noted that, for example, music can be a good reference for maintaining a constant stride or arm rhythm.

3. Reduce perceived exertion

Another of the most interesting benefits of music has to do with modifying the perception of the effort we are making. In other words, it helps us feel that exercise is less difficult and strenuous. This means that the feeling of sacrifice or suffering is significantly reduced when physical activity is carried out.

In other research carried out at the University of Jyväskylä, in Finland, it was found that, in general, lively and danceable rhythms reduce the sensation of perceived exertion. However, in the issues associated with our personal experiences, this effect is enhanced.

4. Improves physiological efficiency

Terry and Karageorghis found that when exercising while listening to music there is an increase in physiological efficiency. This means that there is an optimization in the use of the oxygen that we have. Therefore, the activity increases blood flow, but reduces the amount of oxygen needed to match the increase.

Everything indicates that the good state of mind and the coupling of the body to the different rhythms makes our breathing more harmonious and, therefore, we manage to improve our breathing. Ultimately, this leads to fatigue catching up later.

It is a fact that music has a very interesting effect on our brain. What is new is that this study allows us to see to what extent this effect can help us to carry out activities that, in principle, are arduous. Thus, music becomes a great ally to get the most out of exercise.