The psychological effects of music in exercisers: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: This systematic review sought to summarize the available evidence on the effect of music presence during structured exercise in motivation, vitality, exercise affective response, and perceived exertion, among other psychological factors, in regular exercisers. Methods: The search of articles published until January 2018 was conducted in three online databases (Pubmed, PsycINFO and SPORTDiscus) following PICO model, and complemented manually. The following information was extracted from the selected articles: type of study, intervention characteristics, music condition and instruments, outcomes and assessment instruments, main results, and study methodological quality. The later was assessed with the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Results: A total of 27 articles were included, of which 4 reported effects on motivation, 11 on exercise affective response, 22 on perceived exertion, and 5 on the motivational aspects of music. Music presence was positively associated with higher levels of motivation (n=3 of 4), an apparently more positive affective response to exercise (n=6 of 11), but generally not associated with lower levels of perceived exertion (n=14 of 22). Conclusion: Although music presence appears to have a potentially positive effect on motivation levels and exercise affective response, the variability in sample characteristics, research protocols, and assessment instruments prevents drawing conclusions, highlighting the need for more studies on this topic.