Researchers from the University of Agder found that listening to electronic music before a competition can increase your chances of winning. The research was published in the journal Music and Science.
Previous research has shown that music can improve performance during exercise. But athletes cannot wear headphones during competition, so scientists wanted to test the effect of listening in front of them.
In the new study, the researchers recruited young soldiers (23 men and 17 women) who were roughly the same age, education level, and musical tastes.
The study’s authors decided not to use existing songs as they could be associated with something different for each participant, which could affect the results. Pre-competition listening tracks were created by undergraduate students studying electronic music composition.
In a series of experiments, participants were given a fast or slow version of a piece to listen to. Listening to any music improved the performance of the soldiers on the rowing machine: they scored higher with each try. Also, participants listening to electronic music looked forward to the test with more anticipation than when preparing quietly.
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