Sports and Music
A Winning Combination
Listening to our favorite music, whatever the genre, can increase both our enjoyment of and performance levels in competitive sports participation. Keele University researchers, presenting these findings at the 2012 British Psychological Society annual conference, noted that playing selected tunes reduces perceived exertion levels, plus increases one’s sense of being “in the zone”. The greatest effects were found with music used during structured training sessions. Previous studies showing that motivational music in general boosts performance did not include exploring the effects of listening to one’s favorite music.
