The Effects of Music on Athletic Performance

In the age of technological gadgets, music has become more than just background noise at a party.  Mp3 players and music downloading sites such as iTunes have made music a part of people’s everyday routine.  For some, music has become a vice.

            For those that exercise, music is a way to distract oneself from the physical activity they are enduring and to try to lessen their consciousness of fatigue.  However recent studies have seen that music has a much greater effect than just providing a distraction. Studies conducted by sports psychologists have determined that music has a great impact on the performance level of an athlete. It has been suggested that the correct type of music can heighten an athlete’s performance by up to twenty percent [1].  A sports psychologist at Brunel University, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, has done studies to see the results of synchronous music and asynchronous music.  Synchronous music, music that has a clear and steady beat, was what was shown to elevate a person’s performance by twenty percent whereas asynchronous music, background music, was shown to calm the nerves of athletes by as much as ten percent [1].

            This same psychologist theorizes that there are four main components to the effectsof music on an athlete. First that music can distract an athlete from fatigue,second that music can act as a mood altering catalyst, third music can synchronize an athlete’s rhythm and movement and finally music can act as a trigger for learning certain motions and aid with muscle memory [1].   From the evidence provided there seems to be a correlation between music and performance, but what is really happening?

            A study done to investigate the psychological effects of music on performance was done at Milligan College in Tennessee. To set up the experiment, the term ‘priming’ must first be introduced.

“By priming participants with particular instructions prior to the experiment, a researcher can actually heighten the likelihood that thoughts with much the same meaning as the stimulus will come to mind…When participants are told that a stimulus will affect them in some way, they will in fact behave accordingly. This priming is particularly effective with regards to physical exercise performance” [2]

Priming is the perfect way to test the effects of music on athletes.  By pre-conditioning the study subjects to certain expectations and attitudes, the raw effects of music can be measured.

            For this experiment, ninety-one college students were invited to run several laps while listening to music for a certain duration [2].  The ninety-one students were divided into three groups[2].  Members of Group A (n=25)were told that music would heighten their athletic performance immensely[2].  Participants of Group B(n=19) were told that music would greatly diminish their ability to perform well [2].  And those in Group C(n=47), the control, were not given any information on the impact that music would have on their performance [2]. The results were fairly significant and demonstrated that preconceived notions on the effects music are key to actually seeing positive effects from music during athletic performance.

            The effectiveness of the music was analyzed by measuring the mean number of laps each group was able to complete in the given time.   For Group A, the group that was told music would enhance their performance, the mean number of laps completed was 6.38 [2].  Group B, that was told the music would negatively impact their performance, the mean number of laps was 4.97 [2].  And Group C, given no information, had a mean number of 5.55 laps [2]. The most interesting and significant part of this study was the fact that two groups, A and B, both listed to music, were told completely different information and performed very differently.  This demonstrates that it is not the music that is changing the level of athletic performance achieved but it is that knowledge that an outside force might have the ability to change one’s performance level that actually made an impact. 

            This is a clear indication of the power that the brain has on affecting a person’s physical self.  Similar to the sugar pill, the impact that music can have on a person is a preconceived notion; music itself does not have the power to induce athletic prowess.

 

[1] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article581004.ece

[2] http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/541.asp