Explicit Music Lyrics Improve Psychological Responses to Endurance Exercise but Not Performance Original Research
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Keywords
Rowing, Motivation, Enjoyment, Censored music
Abstract
Introduction: Music has been repeatedly shown to impart ergogenic and psychological benefits (e.g., motivation, enjoyment) during aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Recently, our lab showed that explicit lyrical content in music results in improved performance and imparts psychological benefits during weightlifting exercise. However, it is unknown if these effects translate to other modes of exercise, such as endurance activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of explicit vs censored music on psychological responses and performance during endurance rowing exercise.
Methods: In a counterbalanced crossover manner, physically active females (n=15) completed a 2000-m time trial under 2 different conditions: censored music (CENS) and explicit music (EXP). Time to completion (TTC), power output, heart rate (HR), motivation, enjoyment, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were collected. Visits were separated by at least 48 hours and standardized for time of day.
Results: Findings show that TTC (p=0.078; d=0.48), power output (p=0.092; d=0.46), HR (p=0.883; d=0.03), and RPE (p=0.685; d=0.10) were unaltered during exercise regardless of condition. Motivation (p= 0.004; d=0.88) and enjoyment (p= 0.013; d=0.73) levels were higher during the EXP condition compared to CENS.
Conclusions: Findings suggest that EXP had no impact on endurance exercise performance compared to CENS. However, EXP resulted in enhanced motivation and enjoyment during exercise versus CENS. Thus, listening to EXP music may serve as a practical means to improve psychological responses to endurance exercise.
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Copyright, 2026 by the authors. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.