Music Motivates More Than Trainers, and Moreso for Women

Not that we need one, but here, reported in the Times of London, is yet another reason to buy an iPod. The paper tells us about two studies that suggest that when it comes to working out, music is every bit as powerful a motivator as a personal trainer. (Geezer is keenly aware that it is also a lot cheaper.)  The Times reports that research at Southwestern University (Texas) tested a group of 15 students four times on
exercise bicycles, asking each of them to cycle until they were
exhausted. First they pedalled with no music, then to slow-paced
tracks, to fast-paced tracks and, finally, to the music of their
choice. Every one of them cycled further, and at a higher intensity,
with the music of their choice. Wait, there’s more. The piece also quotes Renee Murphy, a professor in exercise science at Acadia
University in Nova Scotia who also studied music
and exercise, saying that when we are exercising, music also helps us to
disassociate ourselves from the pain of pushing ourselves hard. Because we all knew that already, Murphy’s more interesting revelation is that while everyone pushed further when driven by the beat, women responded more to music than men. On second thought, maybe that’s not so surprising either. No information yet about whether women respond better than men to personal trainers.  Read more.