Corrections Notice: This article features a correction. Professor Costas Karageorghis was originally mistitled as Dr. Costas Karageorghis. These instances were changed to Professor Costas Karageorghis.
7:30 am. Crunch Fitness. Grunts echo as weights are lifted. However, no one can hear them through the noise-canceling earbuds lodged in their ears. Everyone is hyper-focused on their own journey. Music plays as they push their bodies to the limit. Runners match their cadence to the beat.
Music is everywhere, but it is especially utilized in the athletic world. But what happens when athletes listen to music? How does it affect our mindset? What kinds of music elicit the best results?
According to a survey sent out to Shorecrest students, 95.2% of 62 students said they listen to music when doing athletic activities. 83.6% of the students felt that it positively affected their athletic performance.
Professor of Sport & Exercise Psychology at Brunel University of London and author of Applying Music in Exercise and Sport Professor Costas Karageorghis said, “The function of music for most athletes is to use it as part of their pre-event routine. When athletes prepare for a big competition, they often feel quite anxious, as though somebody else is pulling the strings.”
Of 62 surveyed students, 54.8% felt that music helps them improve their mood, reduces stress, improves confidence, and helps them reach their goals.
Professor Karageorghis described how music is a stimulus for your brain. “One of the unique things about music, as a stimulus, is that it can be used to create a constellation of emotions that you associate with your optimal level of activation,” he said.
Professor Karageorghis added that the type of music someone uses can have a profound impact on how activated it makes them feel. More aggressive music with a higher tempo, around 130 beats per minute (bpm), is more likely to have a stimulating effect than calmer music with a lower bpm.
Strangely, someone can feel more activated by slow music through a process of association.
Professor Karageorghis included that music also affects the body, not just the brain. “There are various pulses within the body that are influenced by the rhythmical stimuli within music,” he said.
Music can influence the electrical activity within the brain and directly influence someone’s respiration rate. Depending on the music’s tempo, someone may breathe faster or slower. Music can also affect one’s heart rate and blood pressure.
Shorecrest student-athletes have experienced this first-hand. Junior Asher Walton, who runs cross country and track, usually listens to music when he works out and before races. He said, “I think [music] does [affect athletic performance] as much as you let it because your focus can come from yourself, not the music.” Walton stated that he likes to listen to music because it calms him.
Assistant Director of Enrollment Management and Track Coach Richard Cameron agreed. “Music can absolutely affect athletic performance, especially in practice and also before meets or games,” he said. “I think people respond differently based on how they respond to music.” Cameron also added that music can help calm nerves.
Adjunct Professor of Health Science and Human Performance at the University of Tampa Dr. Ron Woods said, “There is often an issue with how much effort people are putting forth, or how much they are concentrating on what they’re trying to do. They may get bored with repetitive practices when they do the same thing, so music can be used to change the mood.”
So, can Ice Spice really spice up athletic performance? Yes! Professor Karageorghis said, “Music can give you the sense that you’re the master or mistress of your own destiny.”
