Motivational music increases risk taking, but doesn't improve sports performance.
A new study shows that listening to motivational music during sports activities and exercise increases risk -taking, but does not improve overall performance. The effect was more noticeable among men and participants who selected their own playlist. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, also found that self-chosen music had the power to increase self-esteem among those who were already performing well, but not among the participants who performed poorly.
Listening to Motivational Music
Listening to motivational music has become a popular way to improve mood, motivation, and positive self-assessment during exercise and exercise. There is a plethora of anecdotal evidence that music is used in this way, such as the famous “Haka” of the Maori, performed by the national rugby team of New Zealand, to get into the right mindset for the game. However, the psychological processes and mechanisms that explain the motivational power of music are poorly understood.
Dr. Paul Elvers of the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics:
