Beyond Rubik: The Embodiment-Presence-Interactivity Cube applied to exercise.

Evidence-based interventions are needed to promote engagement in physical activity. Audio-visual stimuli are frequently employed to enhance the exercise experience. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of research that examines the qualities of technological devices that are employed. Using the Embodiment-Presence-Interactivity Cube (Flavián et al., 2019) as a guiding conceptual framework, the aim of this registered report was to examine how each dimension of the cube (i.e., embodiment, presence and interactivity) influenced a range of exercise-related affective and perceptual variables. A counterbalanced within-subjects design was employed (N = 24). Participants completed 20-min exercise bouts on a cycle ergometer under four conditions: Television, augmented reality, 360° video and virtual reality. A repeated-measures ANOVA indicated a significant Condition × Timepoint interaction for affective valence (p = 0.046), with greater embodiment offered by technological devices leading to more positive responses. Analyses also indicated main effects of condition for exercise enjoyment, remembered pleasure and forecasted pleasure, with greater presence of technological devices leading to more positive responses. Technologies that combine high levels of embodiment, presence and interactivity (e.g., virtual reality) appear to yield several benefits in terms of in-task (e.g., affective valence) and post-task (e.g., remembered pleasure) responses for exercise conducted at ventilatory threshold.

Effect of acute concurrent exercise training and the mediating role of lactate on executive function: An ERP study.

Both acute aerobic (AE) and resistance exercise (RE) have been acknowledged to be effective methods in enhancing executive function and brain-related P3 amplitudes. Nevertheless, the effect of acute concurrent exercise training (CET), combining both AE and RE, on executive function remains subject to speculation. Moreover, investigation of the mechanisms that underlie improvements in executive function would facilitate scientific understanding. Notably, lactate has emerged as a candidate among several potential mechanisms. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of acute CET on the cognitive flexibility dimension of executive function using behavioural and neuro-electric measures. A secondary aim was to determine the mediating effect of blood lactate in the acute exercise-executive function relationship. Seventy-eight young adults (38 women, 40 men; 22.8 ± 1.8 years) were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: CET, AE, or reading control (RC). Cognitive flexibility was evaluated using the Task-Switching Test and its derived electroencephalography (EEG) was assessed immediately prior to and following each treatment. Fingertip lactate assays were taken prior to, at the midpoint, and after each treatment. Both acute CET and AE shortened response time regardless of test conditions when compared to the RC group. Greater P3 amplitude was observed following CET in the heterogeneous condition and under AE in the switch condition. A significant mediation of blood lactate for response time emerged in both the CET and AE groups for the heterogeneous and switch conditions. The blood lactate mediation was not reflected in P3 amplitude. The present findings suggest that acute CET leads to positive behavioural and neuro-electric alterations of cognitive flexibility, and its effect is similar to AE. Additionally, blood lactate serves as a mediator of the effects of acute exercise on executive function from a behavioural, but not neuro-electric standpoint.

Rhythmic Music Training's Effect on Syntactic Structure Processing among Malay Adolescents with Syntactic Specific Language Impairment.

Background: Adolescents with syntactic specific language impairment (S-SLI) fail to comprehend which object questions. We hypothesised that rhythmic music training is more effective in treating this condition than conventional methods because music is often perceived as having a clear, isochronous beat or pulse. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effects of rhythmic music training on the syntactic structure processing of Malay which questions among native adolescents. Methods: In this research study, the participants were three groups of Malay adolescents aged 13 years old-15 years old: i) adolescents with S-SLI with music training, ii) adolescents with S-SLI without music training and iii) typically developing adolescents. Before and after music training, the participants were given a sentence-picture matching task. Accuracy measures and reaction times were captured using E-Prime 2.0. Results: The results indicated that with music training, the accuracy and reaction time associated with which object questions among the two SLI groups were significantly higher and lower, respectively. Conclusion: The implications of using rhythmic music training in enhancing syntactic structure processing are also discussed.

Interactive effects of task load and music tempo on psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioural outcomes during simulated driving.

We examined the interactive effects of task load and music tempo on cognition, affect, cardiac response, and safety-relevant behaviour during simulated driving. Using a counterbalanced, within-subjects design, participants (N = 46) were exposed to fast-, slow-, and no-music conditions at high and low loads in a high-grade simulator. Task load had the most salient effect across a broad swath of variables. For core affect, the Load × Music Condition interaction showed that, under high load, affective arousal scores were higher in the fast-tempo condition vs. slow. A main effect of tempo emerged for the HRV index of SDNN, with fast-tempo music eliciting lower scores than both slow- and no-music conditions. Behavioural data showed a main effect of tempo for risk ratings, with fast-tempo music eliciting the highest scores for a traffic-light trigger. Our findings indicate that drivers in high-load, urban environments should exercise caution in their use of fast-tempo music. Practitioner summary: We examined the interactive effects of task load and music tempo in simulated driving (urban and highway). Cognition, mood, cardiac response, and driving behaviour were assessed. Participants exhibited more risky behaviours in response to fast-tempo music. Drivers should exercise caution in their use of up-tempo music in urban settings.

Relationships among behavioural regulations, physical activity, and mental health pre- and during COVID-19 UK lockdown.

A nationwide survey was conducted during the first UK lockdown to further understanding of the degree to which motives for exercise were associated with physical activity (PA) behaviours and, in turn, how PA behaviours were associated with mental health. A cross-sectional design was employed and data were collected by use of a one-off online survey (N = 392; 18-85 years; M BMI = 25.48; SD BMI = 5.05; 314 women). Exercise motives, PA, and mental health were measured by use of the Behavioural Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire-3, Brunel Lifestyle Physical Activity Questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire-12, respectively. Participants were also asked to specify their average step count per day, if they used a mobile device for this purpose (n = 190). Analyses comprised hierarchical regressions and partial correlations. Results indicated that behavioural regulations were more strongly associated with planned PA pre-lockdown, compared to during lockdown. There were no differences observed in explained variance between pre- and during lockdown for unplanned PA and steps per day. Planned and unplanned PA were significant explanatory variables for mental health both pre- and during lockdown, but sedentary behaviour was not. Partial correlations, with BMI and age partialled out, showed that steps per day were not correlated with mental health either pre- or during lockdown. The range of variables used to explain planned and unplanned PA and mental health suggest that people's motives to exercise were tempered by lockdown. For those who routinely measured their steps per day, the step count was unrelated to their mental health scores both pre- and during lockdown. It appears that engagement in regular PA confers some minor benefits for mental health.

Psychological, psychophysiological and behavioural effects of participant-selected vs. researcher-selected music in simulated urban driving.

We investigated the effect of participant-selected (PSel) and researcher-selected (RSel) music on urban driving behaviour in young men (N = 27; Mage = 20.6 years, SD = 1.9 years). A counterbalanced, within-subjects design was used with four simulated driving conditions: PSel fast-tempo music, PSel slow-tempo music, RSel music and an urban traffic-noise control. The between-subjects variable of personality (introverts vs. extroverts) was explored. The presence of PSel slow-tempo music and RSel music optimised affective valence and arousal for urban driving. NASA Task Load Index scores indicated that the urban traffic-noise control increased mental demand compared to PSel slow-tempo music. In the PSel slow-tempo condition, less use was made of the brake pedal. When compared to extroverts, introverts recorded lower mean speed and attracted lower risk ratings under PSel slow-tempo music. The utility of PSel slow-tempo and RSel music was demonstrated in terms of optimising affective state for simulated urban driving.

Physical activity and mental well-being under COVID-19 lockdown: a cross-sectional multination study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 lockdowns have reduced opportunities for physical activity (PA) and encouraged more sedentary lifestyles. A concomitant of sedentariness is compromised mental health. We investigated the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on PA, sedentary behavior, and mental health across four Western nations (USA, UK, France, and Australia). METHODS: An online survey was administered in the second quarter of 2020 (N = 2541). We measured planned and unplanned dimensions of PA using the Brunel Lifestyle Physical Activity Questionnaire and mental health using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Steps per day were recorded only from participants who used an electronic device for this purpose, and sedentary behavior was reported in hours per day (sitting and screen time). RESULTS: In the USA and Australia samples, there was a significant decline in planned PA from pre- to during lockdown. Among young adults, Australians exhibited the lowest planned PA scores, while in middle-aged groups, the UK recorded the highest. Young adults exhibited the largest reduction in unplanned PA. Across nations, there was a reduction of ~ 2000 steps per day. Large increases in sedentary behavior emerged during lockdown, which were most acute in young adults. Lockdown was associated with a decline in mental health that was more pronounced in women. CONCLUSIONS: The findings illustrate the deleterious effects of lockdown on PA, sedentary behavior, and mental health across four Western nations. Australian young and lower middle-aged adults appeared to fare particularly badly in terms of planned PA. The reduction in steps per day is equivalent to the non-expenditure of ~ 100 kcal. Declines in mental health show how harmful lockdowns can be for women in particular.

Effects of Motor Tempo on Frontal Brain Activity: An fNIRS Study.

People are able to modify the spontaneous pace of their actions to interact with their environment and others. This ability is underpinned by high-level cognitive functions but little is known in regard to the brain areas that underlie such temporal control. A salient practical issue is that current neuroimaging techniques (e.g., EEG, fMRI) are extremely sensitive to movement, which renders challenging any investigation of brain activity in the realm of whole-body motor paradigms. Within the last decade, the noninvasive imaging method of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has become the reference tool for experimental motor paradigms due to its tolerance to motion artefacts. In the present study, we used a continuous-wave fNIRS system to record the prefrontal and motor hemodynamic responses of 16 participants, while they performed a spatial-tapping task varying in motor complexity and externally-paced tempi (i.e., 300 ms, 500 ms, 1200 ms). To discriminate between physiological noise and cerebral meaningful signals, the physiological data (i.e., heart and respiratory rates) were recorded so that frequency bands of such signals could be regressed from the fNIRS data. Particular attention was taken to control the precise position of the optodes in reference to the cranio-cerebral correlates of the NIR channels throughout the experimental session. Results indicated that fast pacing relied on greater activity of the motor areas whereas moving at close-to-spontaneous pace placed a heavier load on posterior prefrontal processes. These results provide new insight concerning the role of frontal cognitive control in modulating the pacing of voluntary motor behaviors.

Ready Exerciser One: Effects of music and virtual reality on cycle ergometer exercise.

OBJECTIVES: Physical inactivity remains a major global health concern, and researchers have been encouraged to explore the role of technology in the promotion of physical activity. Technologies that deliver audio-visual stimuli are frequently applied in the exercise domain. However, there is a paucity of research that examines the efficacy of modern virtual reality (VR) technology in this context. We investigated the effects of VR and music on affective, perceptual, enjoyment, and cardiac responses to aerobic-type exercise. DESIGN: A fully counterbalanced, within-subjects design was employed. METHODS: A convenience sample of recreationally active adult volunteers (N = 24) completed a 12-min protocol during which they exercised under music, VR, VR-with-music, and control conditions. RESULTS: Analyses indicated a Condition × Time interaction for affective valence and perceived activation. Moreover, a main effect of condition emerged for state attention and perceived enjoyment. The VR and VR-with-music conditions elicited the most positive affective valence, highest levels of perceived activation, greatest number of dissociative thoughts, and most exercise enjoyment. Differences between these two conditions were negligible across the breadth of dependent variables. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings illustrate the efficacy of modern VR technology in the exercise context, applied both with and without musical accompaniment. Additional research is required to assess the degree to which the findings are replicable among sedentary or ageing segments of the population. Given the emerging support pertaining to a positive relationship between affective responses and exercise adherence, VR technology should be considered as a means by which to promote an enjoyable exercise experience.

When It HIITs, You Feel No Pain: Psychological and Psychophysiological Effects of Respite-Active Music in High-Intensity Interval Training.

The authors investigated the effects of respite-active music (i.e., music used for active recovery in between high-intensity exercise bouts) on psychological and psychophysiological outcomes. Participants (N = 24) made four laboratory visits for a habituation, medium- and fast-tempo music conditions, and a no-music control. A high-intensity interval-training protocol comprising 8 × 60-s exercise bouts at 100% Wmax with 90-s active recovery was administered. Measures were taken at the end of exercise bouts and recovery periods (rating of perceived exertion [RPE], state attention, and core affect) and then upon cessation of the protocol (enjoyment and remembered pleasure). Heart rate was measured throughout. Medium-tempo music enhanced affective valence during exercise and recovery, while both music conditions increased dissociation (only during recovery), enjoyment, and remembered pleasure relative to control. Medium-tempo music lowered RPE relative to control, but the heart rate results were inconclusive. As predicted, medium-tempo music, in particular, had a meaningful effect on a range of psychological outcomes.

Prime Movers: Effects of Subliminal Primes, Music, and Music Video on Psychological Responses to Exercise.

BACKGROUND: Priming is a process in which exposure to a stimulus activates relevant mental representations that are given increased weight in subsequent judgment tasks. Affective primes can influence affective evaluations and associations. Such influence has meaningful implications for the promotion of exercise behavior, yet there is scant research on priming effects in exercise settings. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present pair of studies was to examine the efficacy of music (M), music video (MV), and music video with affective primes (PRIME) in modulating psychological responses during and immediately following an exercise bout among two distinct populations. METHODS: In Study 1, physically active participants completed a brisk walking task on a treadmill under four conditions: M, MV, PRIME, and control. Affective valence and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed during exercise and remembered/forecasted pleasure was measured immediately following each exercise bout. In Study 2, largely inactive and overweight participants completed a brisk walking task on a treadmill under two conditions: MV and PRIME. Affective valence was assessed during exercise, while exercise enjoyment and remembered/forecasted pleasure were assessed postexercise. RESULTS: In Study 1, PRIME yielded more positively valenced affect, remembered/forecasted pleasure, and lower RPE when compared to the other conditions (MCohen's d for all DVs = 0.91). In Study 2, PRIME elicited more positively valenced affect, greater enjoyment, and enhanced remembered/forecasted pleasure when compared to MV (MCohen's d for all DVs = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: Subliminal primes embedded in music video can elicit positive changes in psychological responses during and immediately following exercise.

A Grounded Theory of Music-Video Use in an Exercise Facility.

Purpose: Despite considerable interest in the effects of music in an exercise context, there is a dearth of research examining the use of music-videos. This is surprising given the ubiquity of this medium in exercise facilities. The present study sought to examine the impact of a music-video channel on the social process of exercising in a public exercise facility. Method: A grounded theory approach underpinned by pragmatism and symbolic interactionism was employed. Thirteen exercisers completed reflective diaries following each attendance at the facility over a 4-week period. Subsequently, 11 exercisers were interviewed regarding the impact of the music-video channel on the social process of exercising at the facility. Staff members' perspectives were deemed important throughout the iterative process of data collection and analysis. Accordingly, four staff members were interviewed with reference to the social process of managing an exercise facility that featured a music-video channel. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Results: The results provide support for a three-stage substantive theory that commences with the content of the music-video channel. The second stage depicts a series of moderators (e.g., exercise factors, temporal factors) that revolve around the core category, appraisal of the appropriateness of channel content. Lastly, a range of effects pertaining to exercisers and facility staff are predicted, and relevant social processes are expounded. Conclusion: Given the prevalence of music-video channels in contemporary exercise and health facilities, the substantive theory bears relevance to exercisers, health/performance practitioners, and researchers.

Effects of music in exercise and sport: A meta-analytic review.

Regular physical activity has multifarious benefits for physical and mental health, and music has been found to exert positive effects on physical activity. Summative literature reviews and conceptual models have hypothesized potential benefits and salient mechanisms associated with music listening in exercise and sport contexts, although no large-scale objective summary of the literature has been conducted. A multilevel meta-analysis of 139 studies was used to quantify the effects of music listening in exercise and sport domains. In total, 598 effect sizes from four categories of potential benefits (i.e., psychological responses, physiological responses, psychophysical responses, and performance outcomes) were calculated based on 3,599 participants. Music was associated with significant beneficial effects on affective valence (g = 0.48, CI [0.39, 0.56]), physical performance (g = 0.31, CI [0.25, 0.36]), perceived exertion (g = 0.22, CI [0.14, 0.30]), and oxygen consumption (g = 0.15, CI [0.02, 0.27]). No significant benefit of music was found for heart rate (g = 0.07, CI [-0.03, 0.16]). Performance effects were moderated by study domain (exercise > sport) and music tempo (fast > slow-to-medium). Overall, results supported the use of music listening across a range of physical activities to promote more positive affective valence, enhance physical performance (i.e., ergogenic effect), reduce perceived exertion, and improve physiological efficiency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of auditory rhythm on movement accuracy in dance performance.

The present study addresses the impact of the rhythmic complexity of music on the accuracy of dance performance. This study examined the effects of different levels of auditory syncopation on the execution of a dance sequence by trained dancers and exercisers (i.e., nondancers). It was hypothesized that nondancers would make more errors in synchronizing movements with moderately and highly syncopated rhythms while no performance degradation would manifest among trained dancers. Participants performed a dance sequence synchronized with three different rhythm tracks that were regular, moderately syncopated, and highly syncopated. We found significant performance degradation when comparing conditions of no syncopation vs. high syncopation for both trained dancers (p = .002) and nondancers (p = .001). Dancers and nondancers did not differ in how they managed to execute the task with increasing levels of syncopation (p = .384). The pattern of difference between trained dancers and nondancers was similar across the No Syncop and Highly Syncop conditions. The present findings may have marked implications for practitioners given that the tasks employed were analogous to those frequently observed in real-life dance settings.

Effects of acute aerobic and resistance exercise on executive function: An ERP study.

OBJECTIVES: This study addressed the effects of acute, moderate-intensity aerobic and resistance exercise on the shifting aspect of cognition following a 30-min recovery period. It also explored the neuro-electrical activation that underlies the relationship between acute exercise and cognitive function through the examination of P3b and N1 components of event-related potentials. DESIGN: A counterbalanced, repeated-measures experimental design. METHODS: Thirty-five volunteer young adults completed two experimental sessions (i.e., acute aerobic exercise (AE) and resistance exercise (RE), matched in terms of intensity, and one reading session (control). The AE entailed cycling at 60-70% of maximal heart rate reserve for 30min. In the RE session, participants performed seven exercises with two sets of 8-12 repetitions at 70% of 10-repetition maximum. Each participant's neuro-electrical activation was recorded 30min after each session while s/he completed the task-switching test. RESULTS: After the 30-min recovery period, both AE and RE elicited shorter response times in global switching (ηp2=0.24) and local switching (ηp2=0.16) were observed when compared to control. Additionally, larger P3b amplitudes (but not N1 amplitudes) were evident in global switching (ηp2=0.15) and local switching (ηp2=0.16), regardless of exercise modality. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that acute exercise has positive effects on cognitive function. Exercise-induced alterations during the later stages of mental processing might result in superior performance. There were significant selective benefits in terms of brain function regardless of exercise modality.

Effects of music, video, and 360-degree video on cycle ergometer exercise at the ventilatory threshold.

Despite the seemingly ubiquitous presence of audiovisual stimuli in modern exercise facilities, there is a dearth of research examining the effects of audiovisual stimuli in combination during exercise. Accordingly, we examined the influence of a range of audiovisual stimuli on the improvement of affective, perceptual, and enjoyment responses to cycle ergometer exercise at the ventilatory threshold (VT), an intensity that is associated with the most affect-related interindividual variability. A within-subject design was employed, and participants (N = 18) completed a 25-minute protocol that consisted of 2 minutes of seated rest, 5 minutes of warm-up, 10 minutes of exercise at VT, 5 minutes of cooldown, and 3 minutes of seated rest. Participants exercised at VT under music, video, music-video, 360-degree video, 360-degree video with music, and control conditions. The results revealed a condition × time interaction for perceived activation and a main effect of condition for state attention and perceived enjoyment. The 360-degree video with music condition elicited the most positive affective valence, greatest perceived activation, most dissociative thoughts, and highest ratings of perceived enjoyment. The present findings indicate that audiovisual stimuli can influence affective, perceptual, and enjoyment responses to cycle ergometer exercise at the VT. Given the emerging support pertaining to a positive relationship between affective responses and exercise adherence, audiovisual stimuli, such as 360-degree video with music, should be considered as a means by which to promote an enjoyable exercise experience.

Brain mechanisms that underlie music interventions in the exercise domain.

In this chapter we review recent work from the realms of neuroscience and neuropsychology to explore the brain mechanisms that underlie the effects of music on exercise. We begin with an examination of the technique of electroencephalography (EEG), which has proven popular with researchers in this domain. We go on to appraise work conducted with the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and then, looking more toward the future, we consider the application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study brain hemodynamics. The experimental findings expounded herein indicate that music has the potential to guide attention toward environmental sensory cues and prevent internal, fatigue-related signals from entering focal awareness. The brain mechanisms underlying such effects are primarily associated with the downregulation of theta waves across the cortex surface, reduction of communication among somatosensory regions, and increased activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus. Taken holistically, research in this subfield of exercise psychology demonstrates a vibrant and reflexive matrix of attentional, emotional, behavioral, physiological, and psychophysiological responses to music across a variety of exercise modalities and intensities. The emergent hypotheses that we propose can be used to frame future research efforts.

Cerebral effects of music during isometric exercise: An fMRI study.

A block-design experiment was conducted using fMRI to examine the brain regions that activate during the execution of an isometric handgrip exercise performed at light-to-moderate-intensity in the presence of music. Nineteen healthy adults (7 women and 12 men; Mage = 24.2, SD = 4.9 years) were exposed to an experimental condition (music [MU]) and a no-music control condition (CO) in a randomized order within a single session. Each condition lasted for 10 min and participants were required to execute 30 exercise trials (i.e., 1 trial = 10 s exercise + 10 s rest). Attention allocation, exertional responses, and affective changes were assessed immediately after each condition. The BOLD response was compared between conditions to identify the combined effects of music and exercise on neural activity. The findings indicate that music reallocated attention toward task-unrelated thoughts (d = 0.52) and upregulated affective arousal (d = 0.72) to a greater degree when compared to a no-music condition. The activity of the left inferior frontal gyrus (lIFG) also increased when participants executed the motor task in the presence of music (F = 24.65), and a significant negative correlation was identified between lIFG activity and perceived exertion for MU (limb discomfort: r = -0.54; overall exertion: r = -0.62). The authors hypothesize that the lIFG activates in response to motor tasks that are executed in the presence of environmental sensory stimuli. Activation of this region might also moderate processing of interoceptive signals - a neurophysiological mechanism responsible for reducing exercise consciousness and ameliorating fatigue-related symptoms.

Effects of auditory distraction on voluntary movements: exploring the underlying mechanisms associated with parallel processing.

Highly demanding cognitive-motor tasks can be negatively influenced by the presence of auditory stimuli. The human brain attempts to partially suppress the processing of potential distractors in order that motor tasks can be completed successfully. The present study sought to further understand the attentional neural systems that activate in response to potential distractors during the execution of movements. Nineteen participants (9 women and 10 men) were administered isometric ankle-dorsiflexion tasks for 10 s at a light intensity. Electroencephalography was used to assess the electrical activity in the brain, and a music excerpt was used to distract participants. Three conditions were administered: auditory distraction during the execution of movement (auditory distraction; AD), movement execution in the absence of auditory distraction (control; CO), and auditory distraction in the absence of movement (stimulus-only; SO). AD was compared with SO to identify the mechanisms underlying the attentional processing associated with attentional shifts from internal association (task-related) to external (task-unrelated) sensory cues. The results of the present study indicated that the EMG amplitude was not compromised when the auditory stimulus was administered. Accordingly, EEG activity was upregulated at 0.368 s in AD when compared to SO. Source reconstruction analysis indicated that right and central parietal regions of the cortex activated at 0.368 s in order to reduce the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli during the execution of movements. The brain mechanisms that underlie the control of potential distractors during exercise were possibly associated with the activity of the frontoparietal network.

Psychological and Psychophysiological Effects of Recuperative Music Postexercise.

PURPOSE: Few studies have examined the psychological and psychophysiological effects of recuperative music after exhaustive exercise. The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of two music conditions compared with a no-music control on psychological and psychophysiological recovery processes after exercise. METHODS: A randomized, fully counterbalanced, crossover design was used. Core affect, salivary cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure were measured before exhaustive exercise, immediately after, and in 10-, 20-, and 30-min intervals during passive recovery (21 women and 21 men; 20.9 ± 1.7 yr) over three separate trials (slow, sedative music; fast, stimulative music; no-music control). The exercise task entailed incremental cycle ergometry performed at 75 rpm with an increase in intensity of 22.5 W·min at the end of each minute until exhaustion. Data were analyzed using mixed-model 3 (condition) × 4 (time) × 2 (gender) MANOVA/ANCOVA. RESULTS: The largest decline in affective arousal between active and passive recovery phases was evident in the slow, sedative condition (ηp = 0.50). Women had a more pronounced reduction in arousal than did men in the slow, sedative music condition. Heart rate measures showed that fast, stimulative music inhibited the return of heart rate toward resting levels (ηp = 0.06). Similarly, salivary cortisol levels tended to be lower in response to slow, sedative music (ηp = 0.11). There was a main effect of condition for affective valence indicating that the slow, sedative condition elicited more positive affective responses compared with the control and fast, stimulative conditions (ηp = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: The present findings support the notion that slow, sedative music can expedite the recovery process immediately after strenuous exercise.