MELLOW AND FRENETIC ANTECEDENT MUSIC DURING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE OF CHILDREN, ADULTS, AND SENIORS

Previous research has yielded a contradictory picture of the effects o f music on athletic performance. While athletes frequently report usin g music while training or during or before an event, laboratory studie s have generally not detected a beneficial effect of music. The influe nce of music, judged mellow and frenetic, played before exercise was a ssessed by measuring stationary bicycle mileage. 60 volunteers from th ree age groups (child, adult, and senior) and with two levels of prior activity (high and low) were subjects. Each participant received thre e randomized 2-min. exercise trials, each preceded by 1-min. exposure to mellow music, frenetic music, or white noise. Mileage in both music conditions was significantly higher than that during the white-noise control trial except among the senior subjects. No significant differe nces between frenetic and mellow music were noted.