Ongoing History Daily: The connection between music and exercise

Every once in a while, there’s study that extolls the benefits of listening to music while exercising. A 2015 presentation at the Society for Music Perception and Cognition said that engaging with music while you exercise produces the best results.

Listening to music releases natural opioids in the brain which dull pain and can make you less tired. The trick, it seems, is tailoring your music to your specific workout. But if you get it right, your workout becomes a form of musical expression. You’re fooled into thinking that you’re only giving half the effort you really are. That means a better workout.

Now all you have to do is find the right mix of music that makes your brain produce opioids. The only method is trial and error.