The Effects of Music on Exercise as Determined by Physiological Recovery Heart Rates and Distance

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of music stimuli on exercise by comparing the distance traveled and recovery heart rates under three conditions: (a) 30 minutes of walking at an aerobic speed to no music, (b) 30 minutes of walking at an aerobic speed to continuous music, and (c) 30 minutes of walking at an aerobic speed to intermittent music. A pedometer was used to measure the distance walked, and individual heart rates were monitored to maintain a target zone heart rate for the entire 30 minutes of walking. A recovery heart rate was then determined for each individual following the exercise period. Thirty-two volunteer students ranging in age from 18 to 22 were randomly assigned to either Experimental Group A or Experimental Group B. Each group included eight males and eight females who had no predetermined degree of fitness. Each subject individually exercised twice: once in the control setting with no music and once in an experimental setting with music. Group A subjects exercised to no music and to continuous music, while Group B subjects exercised to no music and to intermittent music. Results of this study indicated that subjects had a higher recovery heart rate and walked significantly further during the experimental settings than during the control setting. There was no statistically significant difference between recovery heart rates of subjects in the two experimental conditions. However, subjects in Experimental Group B walked further during the experimental setting than did subjects in Experimental Group A. Results show that music had a statistically significant effect on aerobic exercise and that the intermittent music setting was a slightly more effective than the continuous music setting. Data were further analyzed for differences related to gender. A statistical significance was found between males and females in recovery heart rates with music and without music; no statistical significance was found in distance walked.

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