PulseExploreJournal ClubDebatesTrendingResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeExploreJournal ClubTrending
Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
March 2, 2026Juntendo Medical Journal0 citationsOpen Access

The Effect of Listening to Music or Watching Movie on Perceived Exertion and Autonomic Nervous System Activity During Exercise

KIKotaro IwatsuFKFUKO KOSHIHARAKTKINTARO TAKAO

Key Result

Listening to music or watching movies during exercise reduced perceived exertion according to Borg’s scale in healthy adults during treadmill walking.

Key Points

  • To investigate how listening to music or watching videos impacts perceived exertion and autonomic nervous system activity during exercise.
  • Participants engaged in exercise while exposed to music and/or videos.
  • Measurements recorded included perceived exertion and autonomic nervous system metrics.
  • Listening to music and watching videos influenced perceived exertion levels during exercise.
  • Cardiac autonomic nervous system function changed in response to the different forms of media.

Study Design

Type

RCT (n=9)

Blinding

Open-label

Randomization

Random assignment of conditions to subjects

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does listening to music or watching a movie reduce perceived exertion and alter autonomic nervous system activity during exercise in healthy subjects?

P
Population
9 healthy subjects
I
Intervention
Listening to music, watching a movie, or both during the last 15 minutes of a 30-minute treadmill walking session
C
Comparator
Comparison among the three conditions (music, movie, or both) and against the first 15 minutes of exercise without these stimuli
O
Outcome
Perceived exertion assessed by Borg's scale and cardiac autonomic tone estimated by spectral analysis of R-to-R interval (HF, LF, LF/HF ratio)surrogate

Listening to music or watching videos during exercise reduces perceived exertion in healthy subjects, potentially accompanied by non-significant changes in autonomic tone.

Limitations

  • Small sample size (n=9)
  • Lack of statistical significance in autonomic nervous system activity changes
  • No exact quantitative results provided for perceived exertion reduction
  • Open-label design without blinding
  • Single-center study

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the effects of listening to music and/or watching videos during exercise on perceived exertion and cardiac autonomic nervous system function.

Ask AI
Helpful
Bookmark
Share
View Full Paper

Cite This Study

Iwatsu et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Healthy adults undergoing treadmill walking exercise (n=9). Listening to music or watching movie during exercise vs. Exercise without music or video was evaluated on Perceived exertion measured by Borg’s scale during exercise. Listening to music or watching movies during exercise reduced perceived exertion according to Borg’s scale in healthy adults during treadmill walking.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a52920f1e85e5c73bf083ehttps://doi.org/10.14789/ejmj.jmj26-0046-s
Ask AI
Helpful
Bookmark
Share
View Full Paper

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Music Attenuated a Decrease in Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity after Exercise2016 · 62 citations
  2. 2Music Can Enhance Exercise-Induced Sympathetic Dominancy Assessed by Heart Rate Variability2005 · 71 citations
  3. 3Acute Effects of Listening to Music and Watching Nature Videos on the Psychophysiological Responses and Time to Exhaustion During Moderate-Intensity Indoor Cycling2024
  4. 4Effect of Preferential Relaxing Music on Exercise-Induced Changes in Autonomic Function of the Heart2023
  5. 5Effects of auditory stimuli on electrical activity in the brain during cycle ergometry2017 · 85 citations