Some people believe listening to music while they run pushes them harder. Others believe it’s a distraction. Who’s right? Does music aid running?
In 2014, 15 well-trained male long-distance runners with an average age of 24 participated in a study to investigate the effects of music on performance during a 5km run. They gave each runner a mobile music device and tested five different types of songs:
- PM: Motivational songs, applied before 5 km of running;
- SM: Slow motivational songs, applied during 5 km;
- FM: Fast and motivational songs, applied during 5 km;
- CS: Calm songs, applied after 5 km;
- CO: Control.