Emotional Influence Of Music In Relation To The Effect Of Music On Exercise Performance

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between individuals’ emotional influence of music (EIM) and the effect of listening to music during treadmill running. METHODS: Twenty-two recreationally-active adults (21.7±1.78 yrs) completed six visits, including an initial visit to complete a questionnaire to assess EIM. During this visit, participants also created a personal playlist from a song database which utilized cadences of 180 beats per minute. Participants completed treadmill familiarization trials, running at a self-selected pace for 20 minutes, during the second and third visits. Participants then completed a VO2max test on the treadmill during the fourth visit, where running speeds and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured. During the final two visits, participants completed time-to-exhaustion (TTE) trials while running at a speed corresponding to 80% of their VO2max on a treadmill. For these trials, two separate conditions were utilized: 1) no music (NM); and 2) self-selected music (SSM). Bivariate correlations were used to determine the relationship between EIM and physiological variables, while paired samples t-tests were used to examine differences between TTE trials. RESULTS: A significant difference was found between TTE with NM (M=12.18±5.77) and TTE with SSM (M=14.36±5.22) (t=4.124, p<0.001). EIM was positively correlated to RPE during the TTE without music (r=0.457, p<0.05), while VO2max was negatively correlated to the difference between TTE trials (r=-0.481, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Individuals with a higher EIM perceived greater exertion during running without music compared to running while listening to music, indicating that these individuals may experience a heightened level of motivation or inspiration while using music as an external stimulus during exercise and a diminished level of motivation when music is not utilized. Additionally, individuals with a greater VO2max experienced less of a difference between TTE trials, suggesting that individuals with greater aerobic fitness may not rely on external stimuli for motivation, regardless of EIM. Utilizing music as an external stimulus to increase motivation may be a beneficial tool for certain individuals, whether it be in a personal training environment or a physical rehabilitation setting.