EFFECT OF EXERCISE COMBINED WITH MUSIC ON WORKING MEMORY AND MOOD IN YOUNG ADULTS WITH ANXIETY SYMPTOMS

Authors

  • NIZAR ABDUL MAJEED KUTTY UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN
  • Mohammed Abdulrazzaq JABBAR
  • Leong Jia XIN

Keywords:

Exercise, Music, Working Memory, Mood, Young Adults, Anxiety

Abstract

Exercise has positive effects on cognitive function and mood in young adults. It is unknown, however, if combinations of non-pharmaceutical interventions can produce more benefits than single ones. This study aimed to identify if exercise combined with music improves working memory and mood in young adults with anxiety symptoms more than exercise alone. A randomized controlled trial with pre-test and post-test study design was carried out to test the effect of music with exercise on working memory and mood. We enrolled 32 subjects (age 18-25 years old). Sixteen subjects performed exercise (three times a week for 15 minutes with physiotherapists) with musical accompaniment (experimental group). Three relaxing pieces of music were used. 16 subjects performed the same exercise without music (control group). Working memory was assessed using Dual n-Back task (Level 3) and mood was assessed using Short Version of Mood and Feelings Questionnaire. Two ways mixed-method ANOVA was used to determine the effect of time (pre-test & post-test), groups (experimental & control) and interaction between time and control on working memory and mood. The findings support facilitating effect of music with exercise on working memory performance (p<0.001). No statistically significant difference was found in mood. Exercise combined with music produced more positive effects on working memory in people with anxiety symptoms than exercise alone. We attributed this improvement to the multifaceted nature of combining physical exercise with music.
(Journal of Sports Science and Technology 2021; 21(1):8-20) (Received: 3 Feburary 2021, Revised: 17 March 2021, Accepted: 9 April 2021)
KEY WORDS: Exercise/ Music/ Working Memory/ Mood/ Young Adults/ Anxiety
Corresponding author:Nizar Abdul Majeed KUTTY
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences,
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sungai Long, 43000, Selangor, Malaysia.
E-mail: nizarkualalumpur@gmail.com

Author Biography

Mohammed Abdulrazzaq JABBAR

2Department of Population Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences,
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia.

References

Atkinson RC, Shiffrin RM. The control of short term memory. Sci. Am 1971; 225(2):82-90.
Ashcraft MH, Kirk EP. The relationships among working memory, math anxiety, and performance. J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 2001; 130(2):224–237.
Bandelow B, Reitt M, Rover C, Michaelis S, Gorlich Y, Wedekind D. Efficacy of treatments for anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis. Int. Clin. Psychopharmacol. 2015; 30(4):183–192.
Berger BG, Owen DR. Stress reduction and mood enhancement in four exercise modes: Swimming, body conditioning, hatha yoga, and fencing. Res Q Exerc Sport 1988; 59(2): 148-159.
Berggren N, Richards A, Taylor J, Derakshan N. Affective attention under cognitive load: Reduced emotional biases but emergent anxiety-related costs to inhibitory control. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 2013; 7: 188. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00188
Besson M, Schon D. Comparison between language and music. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2001; 930: 232-258.
Bora E, Harrison BJ, Yucel M, Pantelis C. Cognitive impairment in euthymic major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis. Psychol. Med. 2013; 43(10):2017-2026. doi:10.1017/S0033291712002085
Burns JL, Labbe E, Williams K, McCall J. Perceived and physiological indicators of relaxation: as different as Mozart and Alice in chains. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 1999; 24: 197-202. doi:10.1023/A:1023488614364.
Blood AJ, Zatorre RJ. Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion. PNAS 2001; 98:11818-11823. doi:10.1073/pnas.191355898.
Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Doraiswamy PM, Watkins L, Hoffman BM. Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosom. Med. 2007; 69(7):587-96. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e318148c19a
Buschman TJ, Miller EK. Top-down versus bottom-up control of attention in the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices. Science 2007; 315 (5820):1860-1862. doi:10.1126/science.1138071
Calvo MG, Ramos PM, Estevez A. Test anxiety and comprehension efficiency: The role of prior knowledge and working memory deficits. Anxiety Stress Coping 1992; 5: 125–138. doi:10.1080/ 10615809208250492
Daviss WB, Birmaher BM, Melhem NA, Axelson DA, Michaels SM, Brent DA. Criterion validity of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for depressive episodes in clinic and non-clinic subjects. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines; 2006; 47 (9): 927–34.
Derakshan N & Eysenck MW. Anxiety, processing efficiency and cognitive performance: New developments from attentional control theory. Eur. Psychol. 2009; 14: 168–176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/ 1016-9040.14.2.168
Jancke L. Music drives Brain Plasticity. F1000 Biol. Rep 2009; 1: 78. doi:10.3410/B1-78
Janiri D, Moser DA, Doucet GE. Shared Neural Phenotypes for Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Meta-analysis of 226 Task-Related Functional Imaging Studies. JAMA Psychiatry 2019; 1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3351
Khalfa S, Bella SD, Roy M, Peretz I, Lupien SJ. Effects of relaxing music on salivary cortisol level after psychological stress. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2003; 999: 374-376. doi:10.1196/annals.1284.045.
Lane A, Davis P, Devonport T. Effects of music interventions on emotional states and running performance. J. Sports Sci. Med.. 2011; 10(2):400-407.
Maideen SFK, Sidik SM, Rampal L, Mukhtar F. (2015). Prevalence, associated factors and predictors of anxiety: a community survey in Selangor, Malaysia. BMC Psychiatry 2015; 15(262): 1-12. doi: 10.1186/s12888-015-0648-x
MacNay SK. The Influence of Preferred Music on the Perceived Exertion, Mood and Time Estimation Scores of Patients Participating in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Program. Music Ther. Perspect. 1995; 13(2): 91–96, doi:10.1093/mtp/13.2.91
Mandolesi L, Polverino A, Montuori S, Foti F, Ferraioli G, Sorrentino P & Sorrentino G. Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Functioning and Wellbeing: Biological and Psychological Benefits. Front. Psychol 2018; 9:1-12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00509
Nater UM, Abbruzzese E, Krebs M, Ehlert U. Sex differences in emotional and psychophysiological responses to musical stimuli. Int J Psychophysiol 2006; 62: 300-308. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2006.05.011.
Nater UM, Gaab J, Rief W, Ehlert U. Recent trends in behavioral medicine. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2006; 19: 180-183. doi:10.1097/01.yco.0000214345.37002.77.
Nayak S, Wheeler BL, Shiflett SC, Agostinelli S. Effect of music therapy on mood and social interaction among individuals with acute traumatic brain injury and stroke. Rehabil. Psychol 2000; 45: 274-283.
Pelletier CL. The effect of music on decreasing arousal due to stress: a meta-analysis. J. Music Ther 2004; 41: 192-214.
Ortiz J. The Tao of music: Sound Psychology. York Beach, Massachusetts, Samuel Weiser Inc. 1998.A
Robbins TW. Shifting and stopping: fronto-striatal substrates, neurochemical modulation and clinical implications. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2007; 362(1481):917-932. doi:10.1098/rstb.2007.2097
Ruby MB, Dunn EW, Perrino A, Gillis R, Viel S. The invisible benefits of exercise. Health Psychol. 2011; 30: 67–74.
Sawaguchi T, Goldman-Rakic PS. D1 dopamine receptors in prefrontal cortex: Involvement in working memory. Science 1991; 251: 947-950.
Schmiedek F, Lovden M, Lindenberger U. A task is a task is a task: Putting complex span, n-back, and other working memory indicators in psychometric context. Front. Psychol. 2014; 5:1-8. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01475
Strohle A. Physical activity, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders. J. Neural Transm 2009; 116: 777–784.
Tenenbaum GA. Social-cognitive perspective of perceived exertion and exertion tolerance. Handbook of Sport Psychology; John Wiley and sons, 2001.
Tiller JWG. Depression and its comorbidities. MJA Open 2012; 1 (4): 28–32. doi: 10.5694/mjao12.10628
Wang A, Tranel D, Denburg N. The Cognitive Effects of Music: Working Memory Is Enhanced in Healthy Older Adults after Listening to Music. Neurology 2013; 80(7): 162-172.
Wankel LM. The importance of enjoyment to adherence and psychological benefits from physical activity. INT J SPORT PSYCHOL 1993; 24(2): 151–169.
Whiteman H. The power of music: how it can benefit health. (Internet, Public News) 2015 (2021 January 18) Available from https://thepeoplesorchestra.com/the-power-of-music-how-it-can-benefit-health/
Yinger OS, Gooding LF. A systematic review of music based interventions for procedural support. J. Music Ther 2015; 52: 1–77. doi: 10.1093/jmt/thv004

Downloads

Published

2021-06-30

Issue

Section

Articles