Our bodies respond to music both physically and emotionally.

What are the physical responses to music?​

• We have the tendency to move along to music, such as dancing (Bishop, 2010).

• We have a predisposed auditory-motor synchronization, which has the tendency for us to tap our hands, feet or fingers along to music (Bood, Nijssen, Van der Kamp, & Roerdink, 2013).

What are the emotional responses to music?

• Increased music tempo is associated with increased motivation, such as in a Zumba class or a Spin class (Bishop, 2010).

• Upbeat music has a relationship with better moods and disassociating pain, fatigue and perceived physical effort (Bishop, 2010).Soft and slow music correlates with a sedative effect (Bishop, 2010).

What have the research studies shown?

• Research suggests that manipulating different types of music can help optimize performance. It is a matter of matching the song to the certain task at hand (Bishop, 2010).

• Research studies have shown a correlation with music and a prolonged performance in runners (Bood, Nijssen, Van der Kamp, & Roerdink, 2013).

Tennis Players and Music

Will music played at a fast tempo and high volume promote a quicker reaction time in tennis players?

What was the data collected?

• 54 recreational tennis players

• Bishop created 6 different versions of the song: some with a slow, regular and fast tempo, then some with low volume, regular volume and high volume.

What were the results?

• Athlete’s that had the high tempo and high intensity music had a higher choice reaction time.

Conclusion

•  An auditory stimulus induces an emotional response in athletes, correlated with higher motivation and improved performance.

 

Bishop, D. (2010). 'Boom Boom How': Optimising Performance With Music. Sport &

Exercise Psychology Review, 6(1), 35-47. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

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Runners and Music

Can music, rather than just a metronome, result in a longer time to exhaustion due to its motivational quality?

What data was collected?

• 19 students from the University of Amsterdam that are recreational runners

• The study consisted of a control group, metronome group, and a music group while the runners ran to their exhaustion.

What were the results?

•  Both music and metronome group had a higher time to exhaustion.

Conclusion

•  Any auditory-stimuli, whether a metronome or music, has both motivational qualities that extend time to exhaustion.

 

Bood, R. J., Nijssen, M., Van der Kamp, J., & Roerdink, M. (2013, August 7). The Power of

Auditory-Motor Synchronization in Sports: Enhancing Running Performance by Coupling Cadence with the Right Beats. Public Library of Science, 8(8), e70758, 1-8. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

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