The Soundtrack of Your Workout

Have you ever watched a movie with no soundtrack? Taken a road trip in silence? Craved soft serve without hearing the familiar jingle of an ice cream truck? (For your sake, I hope you answered no to all of these!) When you enjoy something, your brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for promoting motivation by instilling feelings of satisfaction to experiences, (Pietrangelo). Music choice may influence the release rate of dopamine during exercise, and yet, when was the last time you actively thought about what you were listening to?

So what makes a song ripe for gym entertainment? Tempo? Melody? Harmony? Lyrics? Time Signature? Length? Genre? Here are brief musical analyses in hopes to arrive at a better understanding of that question.

P.S. For a diverse workout playlist to get you started, you can check out my gym playlist on Apple Music. Save the tunes you love, have fun, and feel free to leave recommendations of your go-to tracks below!

References:

“Boom.” Performance by P.O.D., YouTube, RhinoEntertainment, 26 Oct. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYHA_7vxrgc.

“Bust A Move.” Performance by Young MC, YouTube, Deliciousvinyl, 27 Nov. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZQQGX24Teg.

“Clarity.” Performance by Zedd, YouTube, VEVO, 11 Jan. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxxstCcJlsc.

Pietrangelo, Ann. “Dopamine Effects on the Body, plus Drug and Hormone Interactions.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 5 Nov. 2019, www.healthline.com/health/dopamine-effects.