ABSTRACT
In the sport domain, music is used to prime athletes, expedite their recovery from training, engender a sense of cohesion in teams, and heighten the emotional experience of spectators. This chapter presents the key concepts and theoretical frameworks that pertain to the study and application of music in exercise and sport. It addresses the antecedents, moderators, and consequences of music use, the dual-mode model of exercise-related affect, relevant models of information processing, attention, and the principles of rhythmic entrainment. The chapter explores putative underlying neurophysiological and psychophysiological mechanisms that pertain to exercise-related affect, the moderating influence of exercise intensity on attentional dissociation, and efficiency gains derived through auditory-motor synchronization. It emphasizes on the main implications for practice. The brain mechanism by which music influences the psychological state and physiological responses of exercisers and athletes attracts systematic investigation. The chapter focuses on key messages from the extant literature and provides the scientist-practitioner with a range of evidence-based recommendations.
