Although music boosts motivation, it can disconnect you from your body by altering your stride, your breathing, and your perception of fatigue. To stay stimulated without disrupting your natural rhythm, replace music with podcasts or audiobooks.

noli's read

Marine Lorphelin raises highly relevant points regarding running physiology. Research largely validates the stimulating effect of music: meta-analyses of controlled trials conducted by Dr. Costas Karageorghis confirm that it measurably reduces the perception of effort while increasing endurance. However, this role of distraction can indeed mask bodily signals of fatigue, an attentional phenomenon well-documented in sports psychology. Regarding stride, biomechanical research, notably from Marquette University, confirms that our cadence spontaneously synchronizes with the musical tempo (rhythmic entrainment), which can distort the runner's natural rhythm. Finally, the podcast alternative is scientifically relevant: a randomized clinical study published in 2023 in BMC Sports Science demonstrates that listening to an audiobook does not alter stride parameters and stability at all, unlike rhythmic musical stimuli.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.