Self-Selected Music Improves High-Intensity Cycling Endurance by 20%: What Research Says and How to Use It

Table of Contents

1. Key Highlights:
2. Introduction
3. How the study tested music's effect on endurance
4. Why favorite music increases time to exhaustion: mechanisms and theory
5. Physiological measures vs perceived effort: interpreting the study's findings
6. Designing effective training playlists: tempo, selection, and structure
7. Applications for athletes, coaches, and instructors
8. Public health implications: low-cost intervention to increase activity adherence
9. Real-world examples: how athletes and exercisers can apply the research
10. Limitations of the research and unanswered questions
11. How to implement music safely and effectively during exercise
12. Practical tips for coaches and athletes: integrating music into training plans
13. Limitations, ethical considerations, and future research directions
14. Final thoughts on applying the research in everyday training
15. FAQ

Key Highlights:

• A controlled study found recreationally active adults cycling at ~80% peak power lasted roughly six minutes longer—about a 20% increase in endurance—when listening to self-selected music versus silence.
• Music did not change end-exercise heart rate or lactate, suggesting the benefit is perceptual: participants tolerated the "pain zone" longer without greater physiological strain.
• Choosing motivating tracks in the 120–140 BPM range, tailoring playlists to training phases, and following safety precautions can make music a practical, low-cost tool to boost training volume and adherence.

Introduction

A handful of songs on a well-timed playlist may do more than lift your mood: they can extend how long you sustain intense exercise. Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä and partner institutions tested whether letting people listen to their favorite music while cycling at a high intensity changes how long they can keep going before exhaustion. The outcome was clear and measurable. With self-selected tracks—most clustered between 120 and 140 beats per minute—participants prolonged their high-intensity ride by nearly six minutes on average compared with silent sessions. Heart rate and blood lactate at exhaustion were similar across conditions, indicating the additional time was not due to reduced physical demand but to an altered experience of effort.

This finding matters for anyone whose goals depend on accumulating quality training time: endurance athletes chasing gains, recreational exercisers trying to stick with a program, and public-health strategists seeking low-cost ways to make activity more tolerable. The research frames music not as a way to change physiology on the spot but as a psychological tool that shifts tolerance for discomfort and sustains motivation. The practical question then becomes not whether music helps, but how to build playlists and training routines that use it most effectively—and safely.

The sections that follow explain how the study was conducted, unpack the likely mechanisms behind the effect, translate the findings into concrete playlist and coaching strategies, and flag limitations and safety considerations. Real-world examples illustrate how different athletes and exercisers can apply the results.

How the study tested music's effect on endurance

Researchers recruited 29 recreationally active adults to perform two high-intensity cycling tests on separate occasions. Each participant used a workload set at approximately 80% of their peak power—a demanding intensity intended to push the body's limits over time. One test took place in silence; the other allowed the rider to listen to self-selected music through headphones. Participants chose their own tracks to capture genuine personal preference rather than imposing standardized music, which can be less motivating.

Most songs selected by participants had tempos between 120 and 140 beats per minute (BPM). That tempo range is common for energetic pop, rock, and dance tracks and aligns with prior studies linking faster tempos with increased arousal and movement synchronization.

Outcome measures were straightforward. Time to exhaustion measured endurance. Researchers also recorded physiological markers—heart rate and blood lactate—at the end of each test. These metrics let the team determine whether music changed objective physiological strain or altered the participant’s perception of effort and pain tolerance.

Key results:

• Average time to exhaustion with music: 35.6 minutes.
• Average time to exhaustion without music: 29.8 minutes.
• The difference represents about a 20% improvement in endurance—nearly six additional minutes.
• End-exercise heart rate and lactate concentrations were similar in both conditions.

Researchers characterized the effect as an ability to sustain the "pain zone"—the area where effort becomes uncomfortable—for a longer period, without raising physiological measures of strain. Lead researcher Andrew Danso noted that self-selected music did not make participants fitter in the moment nor make the heart work harder; it helped them tolerate sustained effort for longer and made tough sessions more doable and potentially more enjoyable.

The study, published in Psychology of Sport & Exercise, involved collaboration between the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain at the University of Jyväskylä, faculties across the university, the Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport (KIHU), and Springfield College.

Why favorite music increases time to exhaustion: mechanisms and theory

The research demonstrates an effect; explaining how music produces it requires integrating psychology, physiology, and neuroscience. Several interlocking mechanisms account for why self-selected music increases tolerance for high-intensity effort:

1. Attentional distraction and dissociation
   • Music captures attention, pulling focus away from internal sensations such as muscle burn, breathing discomfort, and mounting fatigue. When attention is directed outward—toward lyrics, rhythm, or emotional content—perceptions of effort and pain register less intensely. The study’s finding that physiological markers stayed the same while time to exhaustion increased fits this dissociation model: the body was under comparable load, but subjective experience differed.
2. Emotional arousal and motivation
   • Preferred songs trigger positive emotions and memories, elevating mood and motivating continuation. Music stimulates the brain’s reward pathways, releasing neurotransmitters such as dopamine that contribute to positive reinforcement and increased willingness to persist. Self-selection amplifies this effect because personally meaningful tracks evoke stronger emotional responses than unfamiliar or imposed music.
3. Rhythmic entrainment and movement economy
   • The tempo of music can synchronize with movement cadence. For cyclists, pedaling cadence often falls into ranges that match tracks around 120–140 BPM. When movement synchronizes with rhythm, economy may improve slightly through consistent motor patterns and smoother force application. Even small gains in efficiency can postpone the onset of debilitating sensations like muscle tremor or inefficient breathing.
4. Perception of exertion modulation
   • Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) often decline when exercisers listen to music, or the same RPE corresponds to higher output. Music may shift the mapping between physiological signals and perceived effort, enabling the exerciser to operate at a given heart rate or lactate level longer before perceiving it as intolerable.
5. Sense of autonomy and control
   • Choosing music confers a sense of agency. That autonomy boosts intrinsic motivation. When people feel they are in control of their environment—even by selecting a playlist—they often show greater persistence on demanding tasks.
6. Arousal regulation
   • Music can modulate arousal to an optimal level. Too little arousal produces lethargy; excessive arousal produces panic or inefficient movement. Music that raises arousal to a productive level helps maintain focus and effort while preventing overactivation.

These mechanisms operate together. Dissociation reduces signals of discomfort, emotional arousal provides motivational fuel, and rhythmic entrainment keeps movement consistent. Self-selected music is particularly potent because it maximizes emotional engagement and perceived relevance.

Physiological measures vs perceived effort: interpreting the study's findings

A crucial detail in the cycling study: at the moment of exhaustion, heart rate and blood lactate were similar whether participants had been listening to music or not. That distinction clarifies the type of benefit music delivers.

Physiological equivalence suggests the body reached comparable metabolic stress in both conditions. Yet participants under the music condition sustained the stress for longer. That gap indicates music altered perception more than the physiological state. For coaches and practitioners, that matters: music acts as an adjunct to training, not as a physiological booster like increased VO2 max or stronger muscles. It increases the amount of high-quality stimulus an athlete can tolerate, which over repeated sessions should translate into fitness gains by virtue of greater accumulated workload.

Two practical implications follow:

• Acute session planning: Use music to increase tolerated volume or to complete a specific targeted set without needing to alter intensity prescriptions.
• Long-term adaptation: Because training adaptations are dose-dependent, greater tolerance to sustained high-intensity efforts—if applied consistently—should improve fitness over time, assuming proper recovery and progressive overload.

The study’s methodology did not show music lowered cardiovascular or metabolic strain. If music had reduced heart rate or lactate for the same workload, one could argue it made the effort physiologically easier. Instead, music allowed a longer exposure to the same stress. Coaches should therefore pair music with sound training principles: monitor objective load and avoid using music to mask overtraining signals.

Designing effective training playlists: tempo, selection, and structure

The study’s participants tended to choose tracks between 120 and 140 BPM. That tempo band aligns with natural rhythms for many forms of movement and supports rhythmic entrainment. Use the following guidelines to design playlists that extend endurance while matching training objectives.

1. Match tempo to the intended cadence or pace
   • For cycling, set songs around a cadence-equivalent BPM. If a rider prefers a cadence of 90–100 rpm, choose music whose beat subdivisions align with that range (e.g., 120 BPM can correspond to a 60 rpm base with double-time emphasis, or to 90–120 rpm depending on how the rider interprets the beat). For running, tempo can help maintain step frequency. Use metronome-mode or tempo-detection tools in streaming apps to find appropriate tracks.
2. Prioritize self-selected tracks
   • Personal preference drives emotional engagement. The same song can inspire one athlete and irritate another. Let the exerciser curate favorites that reliably elevate mood and motivation.
3. Organize playlists by training phase
   • Warm-up: lower-tempo, steady songs that increase arousal gradually.
   • Main set: high-tempo, motivating tracks during steady-state efforts or the hard portions of tempo rides.
   • Intervals: synchronize song transitions with interval structure. Short, high-energy tracks can cue intense bursts; calmer songs can mark recovery intervals.
   • Cool down: slower, downtempo tracks to reduce arousal and facilitate recovery.
4. Consider lyrical content and emotional valence
   • Positive, empowering lyrics often enhance motivation. Avoid tracks that elicit strong negative emotions or distraction (e.g., personal associations with stress).
5. Control volume and use binaural considerations
   • Volume should be safe for hearing and allow situational awareness if exercising outdoors. Indoors on a trainer, volume can be higher, though hearing protection remains a concern over long durations.
6. Use tempo-changing tools sparingly
   • Some apps let you adjust tempo without changing pitch. Slight tempo tweaks can better match cadence, but large adjustments may alter the song’s character and decrease enjoyment.
7. Keep novelty balanced with familiarity
   • Familiar tracks produce predictable emotional responses and strong motivational pull. Introducing new tracks occasionally reduces habituation and keeps playlists fresh.
8. Track perceived exertion and objective metrics
   • Monitor RPE, power output, heart rate, and session duration to ensure music-driven extensions of effort remain within safe and productive training boundaries.

A concrete playlist example for a 60-minute high-intensity session:

• Warm-up (10 minutes): 100–120 BPM, steady builds
• Base block (15 minutes): 120–130 BPM, motivational tracks
• Main interval block (20 minutes): alternate 3–5 minute efforts synced to 130–140 BPM tracks for hard efforts; recovery tracks for easy efforts
• Final sustained push (10 minutes): highest-motivation tracks in the 130–140 BPM band
• Cool down (5 minutes): 90–100 BPM, calming music

The study indicates the main gain comes from self-selection and how music changes perceived effort. Structuring a playlist to mirror the session’s demands adds a layer of cueing and can improve adherence to the intended workout prescription.

Applications for athletes, coaches, and instructors

The study’s core insight—music prolongs tolerance for sustained high-intensity effort—translates into multiple practical applications.

1. Endurance athletes building volume
   • Cyclists and triathletes can use self-selected playlists during threshold rides to increase time at target intensity. Because physiological strain at exhaustion remains comparable, increasing time-on-task is an effective method for progressive overload.
2. Interval trainers and coaches
   • Music synchronization can structure intervals and improve adherence. For example, a coach can provide athletes with a playlist whose track changes cue work and rest periods. Self-selection is still beneficial, so offering a library of coach-curated playlists athletes can pick from may marry preference with structure.
3. Group fitness instructors
   • Playlists can raise class enjoyment and encourage participants to remain in challenging zones longer. However, in group settings, music should be chosen to suit the majority and respect licensing rules.
4. Recreational exercisers and beginners
   • For people who struggle with sticking to tough workouts because they “feel unbearable,” music may lower the psychological barrier. Longer sessions accumulate more calories and improve fitness, helping novices develop exercise habits.
5. Rehabilitation settings
   • Under supervised conditions, music may help patients tolerate rehabilitative exercises. Clinical programs should integrate music judiciously and monitor symptoms closely to avoid masking warning signs that require intervention.
6. High-performance settings
   • Many elite athletes avoid music in competition because external cues may interfere with race tactics, safety, or rules. In training, though, music can serve as a tool to increase tolerable workload during specific blocks.
7. Remote coaching and virtual programs
   • Delivering playlists to athletes enrolled in remote training can standardize motivational stimulus across a program while allowing individual selection where possible.

Coaches must use music as an adjunct, not a substitute for sound planning. Because music does not reduce physiological load, relying on music to push athletes past safe limits risks injury or overtraining if objective measures and recovery are ignored.

Public health implications: low-cost intervention to increase activity adherence

Physical inactivity is a global public-health challenge. A simple, zero-cost tool that makes demanding exercise feel more tolerable could help people sustain higher activity levels. The study suggests that music increases the window during which people tolerate discomfort and remain active in a single session. When extrapolated, regular sessions that last longer or include more high-quality work could produce improvements in cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, and mental well-being.

Potential public-health applications:

• Community programs: gyms and community centers can integrate music into group programs or provide curated playlists to registered members.
• Behavior-change initiatives: digital platforms encouraging stepped-up activity could prompt users to try self-selected playlists for harder workouts.
• Workplace wellness: corporate fitness classes with motivational music may elevate participation and the intensity of sessions.

Caveats for public programs:

• Not everyone responds equally to music; cultural differences, hearing impairment, and personal taste matter.
• Safety is essential. For outdoor activity, ensure users retain situational awareness.
• Music should complement evidence-based exercise prescriptions for maximum health benefit.

In aggregate, if music helps a meaningful proportion of the population tolerate and therefore perform more high-quality exercise, the cumulative public-health gains could be significant.

Real-world examples: how athletes and exercisers can apply the research

Practical examples illustrate how the study’s findings play out beyond the lab.

Example 1: Amateur cyclist targeting threshold improvements

• Scenario: A cyclist trains threshold intervals to improve sustained power. Many attempts end early due to discomfort.
• Application: The cyclist builds a self-selected playlist of 120–140 BPM tracks that evoke motivation and match cadence. During threshold intervals, listening to this playlist helps the cyclist maintain output and complete the prescribed time at intensity. Over weeks, accumulated exposure leads to measurable improvements in threshold power.

Example 2: Time-crunched fitness enthusiast

• Scenario: A working professional fits in shorter, intense workouts but struggles to complete scheduled sessions.
• Application: Using favorite tracks to power through high-intensity efforts reduces perceived difficulty and increases completion rates. The individual reports higher session adherence and improved mood post-exercise, making it easier to maintain a routine.

Example 3: Group cycling class

• Scenario: A studio class seeks to increase members’ motivation during hard segments.
• Application: Instructors allow participants to vote on playlist themes for the week and incorporate participant-selected tracks where feasible. Higher engagement results in more consistent participation and higher average intensities during classes.

Example 4: Clinical rehab setting (with supervision)

• Scenario: Patients undergoing cardiac or orthopedic rehab struggle with certain exercise sets.
• Application: Clinicians incorporate patient-preferred music during supervised sessions to increase tolerance of prescribed workloads. Therapists monitor physiological markers and symptoms closely to avoid masking warning signs.

These examples show different contexts where music functions as a motivational and attentional tool, not a physiological enhancer.

Limitations of the research and unanswered questions

Every study has limits, and interpreting results requires acknowledging them.

1. Sample size and population
   • The study involved 29 recreationally active adults. While the within-subject design strengthens findings by reducing inter-individual variability, the sample size is modest. Findings may not generalize to elite athletes, sedentary individuals, older adults, or clinical populations.
2. Acute rather than chronic effects
   • The research assessed immediate, within-session effects of music on time to exhaustion. Long-term outcomes—whether regularly using music as a training aid leads to greater fitness adaptations—were not measured directly. That extrapolation is plausible but requires longitudinal trials.
3. Context specificity
   • Trials used high-intensity cycling at ~80% peak power in a controlled setting. Effects may differ at lower intensities, across exercise modes (running, rowing, resistance training), or outdoors where environmental factors and safety concerns constrain headphone use.
4. Self-selection vs standardized music
   • The design prioritized ecological validity by allowing self-selection. That choice enhances real-world relevance but means the exact content varied across participants. Future research could compare self-selected music to research-selected music matched for tempo and arousal to isolate the effect of preference.
5. Placebo and expectancy effects
   • Knowledge of listening to motivating music could produce expectancy effects—participants may push longer because they expect music to help. Blinding is difficult in these experiments, but future studies could examine placebo-controlled designs, such as providing falsely labeled motivational music, to gauge expectancy.
6. Mechanistic measures
   • While heart rate and lactate were measured, the study did not capture neuroimaging, hormonal markers, or continuous subjective ratings that could more precisely map the psychological processes in play. Further investigations could incorporate measures of perceived exertion over time, brain activity, and neurotransmitter surrogates.
7. Safety and masked signals
   • Because music masks the perception of effort, there's a theoretical risk of overriding important physiological warning signals. The present study did not indicate harm, but wider application must emphasize monitoring and judicious use.

These limitations point to directions for future research: larger and more diverse samples, longitudinal trials of training adaptation, cross-modal comparisons, and deeper mechanistic investigations.

How to implement music safely and effectively during exercise

Music is a powerful tool; misuse can introduce risks. Implement these safety and effectiveness guidelines.

1. Preserve situational awareness
   • Outdoors, keep volume low or use one earbud to remain aware of traffic, cyclists, pedestrians, and environmental hazards. Many jurisdictions prohibit fully occlusive headphones while cycling on public roads.
2. Monitor objective markers
   • Don’t use music to override heart rate, power, or pain signals. Use devices and trusted RPE scales to ensure training remains within planned intensity.
3. Avoid masking medical warning signs
   • Symptoms such as chest pain, sudden dizziness, breathlessness beyond expected exertion, or unusual heart rhythms require immediate attention. If such symptoms occur, remove headphones and seek help.
4. Limit exposure to high volume for hearing protection
   • Prolonged high-volume listening increases risk of noise-induced hearing loss. Use safe volume levels and consider noise-cancelling headphones only in environments where safety isn't compromised.
5. Coordinate with training cycles
   • Use music selectively for sessions where increased tolerance is desired (e.g., long intervals, threshold rides). Avoid constant reliance, which could impede the development of internal pacing skills essential for racing without music.
6. Consider competition rules
   • Many competitive events ban or restrict headphone use. Practice racing conditions without music to ensure competitors can execute strategies in the absence of auditory cues.
7. Supervised clinical settings
   • In rehab or clinical exercise, integrate music only under clinician supervision and with clear protocols for monitoring signs that indicate stopping or modifying the session.
8. Respect copyright and licensing in group settings
   • Commercial classes and gyms must adhere to public performance licensing rules when using music.

Following these practical steps enables exercisers to gain the motivational benefits of music while minimizing risk.

Practical tips for coaches and athletes: integrating music into training plans

Coaches should apply the research pragmatically, using playlists as a targeted tool rather than a crutch.

1. Use music to increase tolerated workload during specific microcycles
   • Plan blocks where increasing time at intensity is the explicit goal. Use self-selected music for those sessions to safely raise accumulated training load under monitoring.
2. Combine with objective progression
   • Track metrics like power, duration, and RPE. Adjust volume gradually to ensure gains in tolerated workload translate into improved fitness rather than masked overreaching.
3. Educate athletes about signal differentiation
   • Teach athletes to distinguish between tolerable discomfort and warning symptoms. Music should help manage expected effort sensations, not conceal injury or serious distress.
4. Provide playlist templates and let athletes personalize
   • Offer coach-curated playlists aligned with session goals but allow athletes to swap in preferred tracks. This hybrid approach balances structure and autonomy.
5. Periodize music use
   • Avoid constant use through an entire season. Reserve music for developmental phases or specific workouts to prevent dependency and maintain athletes’ ability to self-motivate without auditory cues.
6. Integrate tempo training
   • Use tempo-aware playlists to target cadence and pacing. For example, match 130–140 BPM tracks to high-cadence efforts and lower tempos to recovery intervals.
7. Leverage transitions
   • Use music transitions as precise cues for interval starts and finishes. This is particularly useful for solo training when an external coach is absent.
8. Evaluate outcomes
   • Collect data on session completion rates, RPE, performance metrics, and subjective enjoyment. Use these metrics to refine how and when music is deployed.

These steps help coaches convert the experimental finding into robust, evidence-informed practice.

Limitations, ethical considerations, and future research directions

The study demonstrates a clear within-session effect, but several ethical and scientific questions remain.

Research directions:

• Long-term training studies: Do regular music-aided sessions produce superior fitness gains compared to identical sessions without music?
• Population breadth: How do older adults, sedentary individuals, elite athletes, and clinical populations respond?
• Mode comparisons: Does music produce similar endurance extensions in running, rowing, or mixed-modality workouts?
• Mechanistic probes: Neuroimaging, hormonal assays, and continuous RPE tracking can clarify which neural circuits and neurochemical systems mediate the effect.
• Preferred versus prescribed music: Compare self-selected tracks to tailored, high-arousal playlists developed by professionals to see which yields larger benefits.

Ethical and practical considerations:

• Safety: Using music to mask warning signs risks harm. Programs should include education on symptom recognition.
• Accessibility: Not everyone has equal access to devices, streaming subscriptions, or high-quality headphones; inclusive strategies are needed.
• Cultural sensitivity: Musical preference is culturally embedded. Interventions must respect diverse tastes and avoid imposing a narrow musical standard.

Addressing these lines of inquiry will sharpen understanding of when and how music should be used in training and public-health interventions.

Final thoughts on applying the research in everyday training

The University of Jyväskylä study adds robust, controlled evidence to a growing body of literature showing music can increase exercise endurance by changing how effort feels, not by altering instantaneous physiological strain. Practically, self-selected music—particularly tracks in the 120–140 BPM band—appears effective at helping recreationally active adults sustain high-intensity cycling sessions for longer.

Athletes, coaches, and fitness enthusiasts can harness this effect to increase high-quality training time, boost session adherence, and improve the enjoyment of challenging workouts. The strategy is low-cost, widely accessible, and simple to implement. Its value depends on good coaching practices: monitoring objective load, preserving safety, and ensuring music complements rather than replaces sound training principles.

Future research should determine long-term training outcomes, effects across populations and exercise modes, and the specific neural mechanisms involved. Meanwhile, sensible, supervised use of motivating, self-selected music can be an effective addition to the toolbox for improving endurance and sticking with hard sessions.

FAQ

Q: How much longer did participants ride when listening to music? A: On average, participants cycled about 35.6 minutes with self-selected music versus 29.8 minutes in silence—nearly six additional minutes, which represents about a 20% improvement in time to exhaustion.

Q: Did music make the workouts physiologically easier? A: No. Heart rate and blood lactate at the end of sessions were similar whether participants listened to music or not. The benefit appears largely perceptual: participants tolerated the same physiological stress for a longer period.

Q: What kinds of music worked best? A: Participants mostly chose tracks in the 120–140 BPM range. Self-selected tracks—those the exercisers preferred—were central to the effect, likely because they provide stronger emotional and motivational engagement.

Q: Can music replace proper training and recovery? A: Music is an adjunct, not a replacement. It can help accumulate more training stimulus by increasing tolerance to high-intensity work, but it does not substitute for structured progression, recovery, or attention to injury signals.

Q: Is it safe to use music during outdoor workouts? A: Use caution. Keep volume at a level that preserves situational awareness, consider using a single earbud, and obey local laws. Never let music mask warning symptoms like chest pain, severe dizziness, or unexpected breathlessness.

Q: Will music produce the same effect for runners or swimmers? A: This study was conducted with cycling. While prior research suggests music benefits various exercise modes, effects may differ depending on the sport, environment, and whether listening is possible or allowed. Mode-specific trials give the clearest guidance.

Q: How should coaches integrate music into training plans? A: Use music strategically for sessions where increasing tolerated workload is the goal. Provide playlist templates but allow athletes to personalize selections. Monitor objective metrics and periodize music use to avoid dependency.

Q: Could music lead athletes to overtrain because they push harder? A: If used without monitoring, music could encourage athletes to consistently exceed safe limits. Pair music with objective intensity controls (power, heart rate) and recovery planning to prevent overtraining.

Q: Where was this research published and who conducted it? A: The findings were published in Psychology of Sport & Exercise. Lead researcher Andrew Danso is affiliated with the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain at the University of Jyväskylä. The study involved collaboration with university faculties, the Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport (KIHU), and Springfield College.

Q: What are important unanswered questions? A: Key questions include whether regular music-aided training produces greater long-term fitness gains, how different populations respond, whether effects generalize across exercise modes, and which neural mechanisms drive the perceptual changes.

Q: How can I build a practical playlist for a hard training session? A: Start warm-up with lower-tempo tracks (100–120 BPM), move to main set tracks in the 120–140 BPM range to match cadence or pace, and use highly motivational songs for the final push. Finish with slower tracks for cool down. Personal preference should guide final track choices.

Q: Are there ethical considerations in encouraging music use in exercise programs? A: Yes. Programs should ensure participants understand music does not negate symptoms that require medical attention, should provide inclusive options for diverse musical tastes, and ensure safe listening practices to protect hearing.

Q: Where can I access the study? A: The publication is open access in Psychology of Sport & Exercise and is available online.