How Does Pregame Music Affect a Player and Their Performance?

By S. Lawrence Bueno

​Music is the power of life. It goes beyond an arrangement of notes that form a melody; music is an art that invokes joy and positive feelings. Have you ever wondered why so many top athletes listen to music during their pregame warmups?
 
Music can do a great deal for an athlete, more than just hype them up, as it triggers the amygdala - the emotional processing center of the brain. Athletes who warm up with music are consequently activating regions of their brain that enhance their motivation and performance status.
 
In clinical settings, athletes who were exposed to high-intensity and upbeat music during warmups were bound to perform better competitively. Furthermore, studies have shown that music has been found to affect central physiological variables in our body such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, EEG recordings, body temperature, and galvanic skin reaction. As well as impacting our immunological and endocrine system function.
 
So, if you’re an athlete and need a little motivation boost, open your playlist, plug in your headphones, and listen to some music! Whether it is electronic, rap, pop or all that jazz – it will probably make you feel better and pregame music does indeed positively affect a player and their performance.