A nice article in the New York Times describes research that confirmed what many of us already knew, namely, that listening to our favorite music during intense workouts increases our efforts.

Surprisingly, the research reported that music didn’t make the workouts any less unpleasant or bearable, just that people try harder.

It was not clear why this effect occurs, but I would offer several possibilities. First, music acts as a distraction from the discomfort of intense workouts enabling us to give a great effort and tolerate more pain. Second, music that we enjoy produces positive emotions, such as fun, excitement, inspiration, and pride, that release endorphins (our body’s natural relaxants and pain killers) that dull the pain and enable us to push harder.