It seems rare to see someone in the gym without earbuds when they are not with a trainer or group. For most people, music is the fuel for their workout and helps keep them focused. If they forget their headphones or if their phone dies on a run, the whole workout feels off.
NEWSLETTER
Train and fuel smarter with expert workouts and nutrition strategies sent to your inbox.
It may seem like a dramatic or overly dependent relationship, but a growing body of research proves music’s effect on the mind and how it can turn a workout from a chore to something you enjoy.
Music, Motivation and Dopamine
Music’s biggest impact is psychological. It changes how we feel during exercise. Pairing music with workouts makes it an activity your brain begins to look forward to because it increases positive emotions by releasing dopamine, the feel-good hormone.
But it’s not just listening to any random song through gym loudspeakers that helps you reap the greatest benefits. Listening to songs that match your personal preference is key.
“Studies have found significantly higher dopamine release and reward center activation when people listen to their favorite songs,” said Shin Park, associate professor at Emory University’s School of Medicine. “It’s very obvious that personalized music activates the reward center to a greater extent than non-preferred music.”
Christopher Ballmann, associate professor of kinesiology at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, agrees. He adds that the activation in the brain from a personal playlist creates a more profound effect on motivation.
“The number one thing that we see most often with tailoring music to a person’s preference is changes in motivation, and motivation is a big driver for giving effort during exercise,” Ballmann said. “It’s also a predictor for your ability to continue to do that activity.”
Many fitness programs, like Jazzercise, carefully curate their playlists to maximize the workout experience and tap into music’s boosting effect.
“Jazzercise is not a workout set to music,” said Emily Newlands, Jazzercise’s Program Development Manager. “Music is the backbone of the program.”
The dance fitness company incorporates strength training, Pilates and kickboxing into group classes and relies heavily on a good soundtrack to keep the workouts efficient and the energy high. Instructors build each workout around a song’s tempo and select songs based on different levels of intensity.
“You reach a point in the class where everyone feels that dopamine release that you get from listening to good music, and that endorphin rush that you get from cardio exercise,” Newlands said. “That all happens together, creating a vibe that gives you an experience that you would never have without the music.”
Newlands regularly takes Jazzercise classes and is an instructor as well. She chooses to attend classes based on who’s teaching it and the mood they bring.
“I gravitate towards instructors where I know I like their playlists, and I know they’re going to put together the experience that I’m looking for,” Newlands said. “And then, to toot my own horn, I put together really good playlists for the classes I teach. I work harder when I’m going to my own classes.”
Ballmann’s research has also shown the reverse. In almost every form of exercise, whether endurance-based, sprint-based or resistance-based, performance suffers if you’re listening to music you dislike.
“The majority of the population is not training to be an Olympian, they’re training for health,” he said. “They want an activity that’s going to be enjoyable, and they want their music to complement that and make it more enjoyable.”
“I always tell people that above all, the most important thing you should do is pick something you like,” Ballmann said.
Finding Your Groove
Music also helps decrease perceived exertion during exercise by distracting you from any feelings of exhaustion and soreness.
Park explained that this is because music provides signals to the auditory cortex in the brain, which compete with the signals of pain and fatigue that the brain receives during a workout. If you’re listening to your favorite movie soundtrack or bobbing your head to the latest Doechi song, those signals of discomfort are less noticeable because of the music.
“I call this the distractive effect,” Park said. “People pay attention to the music instead of their own pain and fatigue.”
“What most of the evidence has shown is that listening to music gives you something else to focus on away from exercise discomfort,” Ballmann added. “That can help you sustain activity over a longer period of time.”
Newlands agrees. She said music helps her sustain her energy while in class.
“I will never push myself to that challenging level without the environment that’s created by the Jazzercise music,” Newlands said.
Pumping Up Your Performance
Music doesn’t just change the mood of a workout, it also has measurable physical effects. Researchers have seen across many studies that listening to music can fine-tune movement efficiency, boost endurance and even help exercisers push harder.
“Music enhances exercise performance, typically in endurance performance like running or cycling,” Park said. “Music increases the heart rate, which means people actually exercise harder.”
The music’s tempo must echo the intensity of the workout to produce positive results.
“If your goal is to reach peak performance, tempo certainly matters a lot,” Ballmann said.
Fast tempos set a steady pace for cardio-focused workouts, like running, walking, and cycling.
But not every workout is about reaching peak performance. For many people, music’s greatest benefit lies less within its rhythm, but more so with its ability to shift focus away from soreness.
“If your workout is just for leisure or you’re trying to enjoy a recreational activity, it may not be the tempo or beat that actually matters,” Ballmann said, “it may be your ability to dissociate from the discomfort of exercise.”