The workout playlist backed by science

Dr Karageorghis has researched the psychological effects of music on exercise for more than 20 years. With the likes of Nike, Sony, David Lloyd health clubs and even Olympic athletes benefiting from his expertise, plus collaborations with Ministry Of Sound under his belt, it’s fair to say he knows the score. ‘The benefits are of a small to moderate nature, but they are certainly there,’ he says. ‘And for some, music can make a critical difference.’ So how does it work?

Track trickery

‘The most consistent effect of music is that it reduces our sense of how hard we think we’re working,’ says Dr Karageorghis. ‘It makes exercise seem a little bit easier, and well-chosen music reduces your perceived exertion by around 12 per cent.’ And ‘well-chosen’ means any genre of music you like that’s relevant to the intensity of activity you’re doing.

Neurophysiological research shows that music blocks some of the signals from our muscles to our central nervous system – so some of the messages telling us we’re fatigued never enter our awareness. Even if you don’t like the music playing, it can still reduce your perception of effort by around eight per cent, which is good news for anyone who’s been at a spin class where the instructor has a less-than-cool taste in banging Euro-pop.