Going to work out at the gym before taking a test can relieve some stress, but listening to music at the same time can improve cognitive ability and test scores, according to a study led by Charles Emery, professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
In the study, 33 volunteers at a cardiac rehabilitation program who listened to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" while working out on the treadmill did two times better on a verbal fluency test than when they exercised without music.
This was the first study to look at the combined effects of music and short-term exercise on mental performance, he said.
"Evidence suggests that exercise improves the cognitive performance of people with coronary artery disease," Emery said in a press release. "And listening to music is thought to enhance brain power. We wanted to put the two results together."
Although the volunteers' cognitive ability only improved after exercising with music, they felt better emotionally and mentally without music.
Exercise alone helps cognition, said Semyon Slobounov, associate professor of kinesiology.
"Numerous studies have shown that exercise facilitates brain function," Slobounov said. "It increases the oxygen supply to the frontal cortex, the area of the brain mainly responsible for perception, cognition and other activities."
Other benefits of exercise alone in addition to improved cognition are staying healthy and releasing tension.
"Exercise helps get my metabolism going, and it helps take away my stress," said Angela Logsdon (senior-communications sciences and disorders), who also teaches fitness classes at the White Building.
On the other hand, music by itself helps to lift mood and to exercise the brain.
The link between music and the brain may have evolved over time, associate professor of psychology Valerie Stratton said.
"Music can be traced to the evolution of animal communication such as bird songs," she said. "From back into early historical times, parts of the brain have been connected to emotions."
According to studies done by Stratton and associate professor of music Annette Zalanowske at Penn State Altoona, listening to music of any kind helps to improve mood and to intensify feelings.
"In general, music is tied to moods in terms of what you like," Stratton said. "No one kind of music automatically makes you sad. When people listen to music that they like they have more positive feelings."
Although it does not matter what type it is, people tend to pick music that matches their mood, Stratton said.
"When people are sad, they don't like listening to happy music," she said. "They pick something that matches their mood. For sad music it may give them consolation. Music therapists do the same thing; they gradually change the music and mood."
Music also stimulates the brain and causes changes in it. This is especially apparent in people who play instruments. A graduate student of Slobounov's studied the effect of playing music on pianists.
"Listening to music provokes thoughts, not only emotional responses," Slobounov said. "Music experience and finger movement cause huge changes in the brain and different cortical reorganization. It's not surprising that analytical skills, computing and comprehension would improve."
Emery chose the "Four Seasons" for its complexity. The process of listening to music is more complicated than it seems on the surface. While listening to music, the human brain has to sort out tones, timing and sequencing of various sounds, which stimulate the frontal lobe.
"Exercise seems to cause positive changes in the nervous system, and these changes may have a direct effect on cognitive ability," Emery said. "Listening to music may influence cognitive function through different pathways in the brain. The combination of music and exercise may stimulate and increase cognitive arousal while helping to organize cognitive output."
Taking music lessons as a child is beneficial for development, Stratton said. But she doubts the effect on cognitive ability after listening to a little bit of music.
"Research has concluded that listening to music right before a test has very short term and fleeting effects, but taking music lessons as a child may help with cognitive processes," she said. "Still, we're not quite sure how exactly music affects to the brain."
Despite the benefits of both separately, exercise of the mind and of the body must occur simultaneously for the greatest benefits, Slobounov said.
"We cannot separate body and mind," he said. "Different physical and mental challenges need to be developed, maintained and incorporated into everyday life."
People already combine activity and music into their routines.
"People listen to music while they're doing something else like studying, driving and getting ready in the morning," Stratton said. "It's uncommon for someone to just sit down and listen to music. Even then they might be relaxing."
Music and exercise can even work together by keeping the rhythm, Logsdon said.
"Aerobic music helps with the step routine, counting and choreography," Logsdon said. "Music helps take my mind away from the strenuous work and sweating, tiring muscles. It also helps to motivate me and makes exercise feel less like work."
