Karageorghis & Priest 2011-2012, Music in the exercise domain

Two-part review of music and exercise. Music lowers perceived effort at low-to-moderate intensities by roughly 10% but stops doing so beyond the anaerobic threshold, where physiological cues dominate; synchronous music (cadence matched to the beat) improves endurance and lowers the oxygen cost of running more than asynchronous music. The effect works through dissociation and arousal regulation, driven mainly by rhythm and tempo. Moderate.