THE EFFECT OF MUSIC ON PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE
Dedik S. Santoso
Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
ABSTRACT
The main objective of this study, as mentioned on the title, is to determine whether there is
any effect of music on physical task performance. Three different kind of music were used in this
study: easy listening/slow music, hard rock music, and subject’s own favorite music. The same
physical task without music was also conducted for every subject as the control. To simulate the
physical task, each subject has to walk on a treadmill at a constant speed (3 MPH) and inclination
(4º) for six minutes. Enough rest was given after a subject finished each task. Four undergraduate
and six graduate students were volunteered as subjects in this study. They are three females and
seven males. Statistical analysis software programs were used to analyze the results. It is shown
from this study that slow music and favorite music have significant effect on the physical task. The
heart rate is significantly lower when the subjects listened to a slow music or their favorite music
while performing a physical task compared with performing the same task without listening to any
music. The heart rate is not significantly different when subjects listened to hard rock music
compared with no music listened. On the other hand, VO2 consumption is not significantly
different between without music and with all kind of music. Therefore, according to this study, it is
beneficial to listen to a certain kind of music while performing a physical task since they lower the
heart rate.
Keywords: music, physical performance, heart rate, Oxygen consumption.
1. INTRODUCTION
Within the scope of the actual work, it is common that the worker always listen to music
while they work, whether it be physical or mental / offices. In some offices, it is also common
that they play soft music with low volume during working hours. In the work environment,
music is used to some purpose, which is to reduce the effect of interfering noise, so feel more
relaxed, and others. People who frequently jogging usually wears headphones for listening to
music.
The effects of music on mental has been investigated by several people. Sailer and
Hassenzahl (2000), citing Kjellberg and Landstrom, stating that the noise have a negative
influence on concentration, productivity, work capacity, and risk of accidents, although the level
of noise / low volume. Beh and Hirst (1999) studied the effects of music on the driver. They
concluded that music have a positive effect to improve alertness during driving. To task light,
music has no effect, nor loud music disturbing the performance of the driver. Mills (1996)
suggests that there is a relationship significant among the aggressiveness of junior high school
kid with a fast rhythm music. He concluded that it is very profitable to play music, especially
when PE. Copeland and Franks (1991) suggested that fast music and hard not improve
performance in phisiologis or psychological. They
also found that slow music has an influence to make the feeling more relax. In this study, just as
has been alluded to earlier, the influence of music on Physical performance was investigated.
2. THE PURPOSE
The main purpose of this study is to determine whether there is influence from music on
one's physical performance is reviewed phisiologi. The influence of music against mental has
been studied, also its effect on the driver. Effect against physical music has also been
investigated by at least Iwanaga and Tsukamoto (1997) and Copeland and Franks (1991).
Judging from the effort to improve performance work, this study has significance enough, both
of the workers and of the companies, especially in terms of increasing the productivity of labor.
Some advantages can be drawn from the results of this study:
1. For industry: improve operational productivity in general.
2. For workers: they can work more efficiently in terms of energy savings and
do not get tired.
3. This study is also useful for people who do sports activities.
3. RESEARCH METHODS
3.1 REVIEW
Sub-maximal method used in this study, a method commonly is used to determine the
relationship between heart rate of oxygen consumption. According Astrand and Rodahl (1986),
this method is easy to implement, secure, and relatively low because the subject does not need
to reach maximum heart rate where it is can be dangerous. According to Bot and Hollander
(2000), a linear relationship between rate heart and oxygen consumption also applies to
exercise / physical work nonsteady. With this method, the maximum heart rate of each subject
can be determined the equation / regression analysis.
3.2 SUBJECT
Ten people who were all students, three women and seven men, in voluntarily participated
in this study as subjects. Their average age is 23.9 years. The characteristics of each subject can
be seen in Table 1. All subjects familiar with physical tasks to be carried out in this study.
List 1. Characteristics of subject
subject
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
aver
age
SD
Gender
Age
P
24
P
21
P
20
L
22
L
39
L
20
L
27
L
23
L
21
L
22
23.9
5.
70
9.
24
10
.3
0
0.
17
Height
169
166
165
187
183
178
170
185
173
160
Weight
70
53
71
88
86
64
74
76
74
65
body
surface
area
BMR
(kcal/da
y)
1.8
1.58
1.78
2.13
2.08
1.8
1.85
1.99
1.87
1.67
1.85
5
1520
1370
1550
2060
1900
1700
1750
1880
1810
1610
1715
173.
6
72.1
BMR=Basal Metabolic Rate, P =Perempuan, L=laki-laki, SD=Standar Deviasi
3.3 EQUIPMENT
a. Deltatrac Metabolic Monitor with printer to measure consumption
oxygen (ml / min), carbon dioxide (ml / min), and energy requirements (kcal / day).
b. Treadmill Quinton 645 for simulating physical work.
c. Digital heart rate monitor type Exersentry III to measure heart rate (beats
per minute).
d. Audio tape, cassette, CD.
20
7.
16
3.4 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
All the subjects who participated in this research has been to understand the simulation of
physical tasks to be carried out, which is run on the treadmill. The data subjects: sex, age, height
and weight entered in the measuring instrument Deltatrac which automatically calculates body
surface area and BMR. After all data is entered, each subject then running on a treadmill with
speed of 4.8 km / h with an inclination of 4º for 6 minutes. Every minute heartbeat they were
measured, as well as their oxygen consumption. There are four conditions carried out in this
study:
1. The subjects walked on a treadmill without listening to music.
2. The subjects walked on a treadmill while listening to light music.
3. The subjects walked on a treadmill while listening to hard rock music.
4. The subjects walked on a treadmill while listening to their favorite music.
When listening to music, they use a headset and volume set by each of them. After completing
one session (after 6 minutes walk on treadmill), each subject was given adequate rest until their
heart rate back to normal (heart rate at rest).
3.5 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
The statistical program used in this study is Microsoft Excel and SAS (Statistical Analysis
System). The effects of music on physical performance measured using á = 0:05. H: There was no
difference in heart rate and consumption oxygen for physical work performed while listening to
music or not.
4. RESEARCH RESULT
The data collected in this study are:
1. The heart rate for each condition every minute.
2. Oxygen consumption (ml / min), carbon dioxide from breathing (ml / min), the energy
required to do the job (kcal / day).
The data is automatically printed by a printer that is connected to the tool
monitor oxygen consumption. Minimum value, maximum, average, and standard deviation of
each of the data for all subjects is shown in Table 2.
Before the calculation, the following notation will be used to declare different conditions:
1. Work without listening to music called the condition A.
2. The work by listening to light music called the condition B.
3. Work with listening to hard rock music called condition C.
4. Work with your favorite music called conditions D.
Analysis of variant for condition B, C, D compared with condition A is calculated by SAS. For the
first ANOVA is based on the value of the heartbeat. From the table above, it seems clear that the
heart rate is significantly differ between conditions without the music with the conditions with
light music (p <0.01). this means, in accordance with Table 2, subjects heart rate decreased
significantly when listening to light music when compared to without listening to music. It can be
concluded that the hard rock music does not have a significant effect against the heart rate (p>
0.05), although the heartbeat still tend to decline in accordance with Table 2. When the subjects
listened to their favorite music, the influence the music is the most significant, which can be seen
from the value of p very small (p <0.001). In accordance with Table 2, the average heart rate of all
subjects reaching the lowest while listening to favorite music, which is 77.3 beats per minute
compared with 79.7 (light music), 83.9 (hard rock). From the table above it is clear that music has
no effect significantly to oxygen consumption. All types of music used in this study does not have
a significant effect on oxygen consumption.
5. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 DISCUSSION
From the research that has been shown above, the music has influence phisiologis positive,
namely in terms of lowering heart rate. Type of music different provide different levels of
influence. The biggest influence given by favorite music. However, in the real world of work, play
favorite music is rather difficult to implement because each worker has music different favorite,
favorite music because it can be used when each of the they use a headset. Difficulty use of these
tools is the lack of access to sounds / voices such as: alarm, orders from superiors, and others.
Therefore, by using light music, is sufficient to provide effect on worker performance.
On the other hand, according to the results of this study, music has no effect against oxygen
consumption. This can be explained as follows. By the time someone do the same physical work,
the energy needed to carry out The job is the same for the same work done. Therefore, oxygen
needed for combustion energy source in the body are the same. Heart rate decreased
significantly for certain music, meaning that when someone to listen to certain music, he feels
more relaxed and breathing become much more efficient. The heart that pumps blood more
efficiently. With the same amount of oxygen absorbed, generating the same energy, conducted
by less pumping by the heart.
5.2 RECOMMENDATION FOR OTHER RESEARCH
Field research will probably produce a better conclusion. However, the difficulties that
would be faced if such research is conducted in the field is the use of a tool that would be much
more difficult. To that end, the simulation work physical might be amended so similar to actual
physical work that will researched. By using workers as subjects in research of this kind will give
more representative results when compared to using student / student.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Åstrand, P.O., and K. Rodahl, 1986. Textbook of Work Physiology, 3 Ed., New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Beh, H.C., and R. Hirst, 1999. “Performance on Driving-Related Tasks During Music”,
Ergonomics, vol. 42 (8), pp. 1087-1098.
Bot, S.D.M., and A.P. Hollander, 2000. “The Relationship Between Heart Rate and
Oxygen Consumption Uptake During Non-steady Exercise”, Ergonomics, vol. 43
(10), pp. 1578-1592.
Copeland, B.L., and B.D. Franks, 1991. “Effects of Types and Intensities of Background
Music on Treadmill Endurance”, The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical
Fitness, vol. 31, pp. 100-103.
Ferguson, A., M. Carbonneau, and C. Chambliss, 1994. “Effects of Positive and Negative
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pp. 287-296.
Mills, B.D., 1996. “Effects of Music on Assertive Behavior During Exercise by Middle School-Age
Students”, Perceptual and Motor Skills, vol. 83 (2), pp. 423-426.
Sailer, U., and M. Hassenzahl, 2000. “Assessing Noise Annoyance: An ImprovementOriented
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