The effects of music are no longer considered as voodoo. How often have you playlist mirrored your mood, this can be either when you feel empowered or a bit down. As psychology has progressed the study into the effects of music on the brain has multiplied. It’s a causality that is common to all of us; generalised research like this is celebrated because it brings greater understanding to the majority of our lives.
While the direct effects of music on brain activity are plenty there is not as much research that considers variables such as the listener’s reasoning and activity. I am a personal trainer and I always play music when working with my clients. It breaks the ice and motivates me to motivate them. That is why I want to consider and evaluate the effects of music on the brain and how it affects the way we exercise. Considering the fact that music often helps people to relax their minds, a large section of people develop an interest in playing a musical instrument. This may help them nourish their talent for music. However, it may not be easy to learn music as it seems to be, because music is generally learned in a suitable environment. A proper music room is likely to have adjustable piano benches, various musical instruments, a record player, and much more. All such components may form an appropriate place for learning and practising music.
Studies have found that there are two types of music that have the direct effect on athletic performance. These types of music are called synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous music, by definition, is music that has a steady and clear beat while asynchronous music is defined as music that is described as diegetic. It plays in the background. Dr Costas Karageorghis, an expert in the field of sports psychology found that synchronous music elevated the performance of his athletic subjects by 20%. On the other hand, asynchronous music was shown to calm athletes by as much as 10%. This is just one of his findings. It shows that music does have an effect but it is a lot more abstract than that. The results are dependent on the music itself as well as the individual. You may find that you perform more effectively with asynchronous music or quite the opposite.
This is an important factor when considering the effects of music and athletic performance. When exercising you can be pigeonholed into two brackets. People working out are either associators or dissociators. Associators have intrinsic modes of motivation when exercising while dissociators look for external stimuli and distractions. This is the case for many people’s performances. To truly reap the benefits of music when exercising you would have to be an associator. However, it is important to understand yourself and know what benefits you during workouts.
You probably have a liking towards specific types of music or artists. Based on that, you can develop your own personal connection between activity and music. Try creating a playlist that will help you get the best out of your workouts. After all, music has proven to make people move. And if you have ever noticed, attendees subconsciously start moving to the tune and beat when they attend concerts of artists like Chris Brown, 50 Cent, and Bad Bunny (book tickets to his concert at TicketSmarter). But it’s not just emotions that drive you to move. There are parts of the brain that are triggered when absorbing music. The hippocampus makes memories from music and provides context. This means it can help you visualise and link certain music with intrinsic modes of motivation. Furthermore, the Cerebellum and Amygdala facilitate the emotional reactions you have to music. Again, the reactions are exclusive to the individual and you will be more reactive to different emotional triggers.
In conclusion, we understand that music can affect the mind with your own willingness. The question to ask is whether there is substantial proof and not just a number of character types that make us eligible to pertain to the benefit effect so music when we exercise. My argument is that you may find yourself timing your lift with a drop or a chord progression and feel that it is you being a dope but there is a science behind this little phenomenon. R Douglas Fields wrote within ‘The Power of Music: Mind Control by Rhythmic Sound”, that;
“The data recording of brain activity (from emitted alpha and beta waves) shows that neuron activity can become synchronised with auditory rhythm”.
For those who don’t understand the technicalities like me, it simply concludes that rhythmic sound synchronizes with brain waves. This is proof that music has a physical effect on the brain, almost instantaneously. This then facilitates an emotional response that we can harness while working out. Depending on who you ask, some people may love rock music while others might enjoy listening to house music (check out https://www.booyamusic.net/what-is-house-music-the-ultimate-guide/ for more information about house music) while doing exercises. The proof is in the gluten-free pudding, music scientifically benefits the activity of the brain and therefore the performance of the individual.
