In this study, we examined the effects of music on affective changes (mid- and post-exercise) and further investigated the influence of the affective changes on exercise intention. A repeated measures design incorporating counterbalancing techniques was used in the conduction of the study on 80 university students (40 female students). Participants engaged in a stationary cycling exercise at conditions of ventilatory and sub-ventilatory thresholds, and their exercise intention was measured in addition to their affect and attentional focus, mid- and post-exercise. Listening to music mid-exercise helped in improving exercise intention by producing a positive affective experience. Music was found to better predict exercise intention through affective valence in contrast to the activation dimension. Future research may investigate the effects of affective changes due to music on exercise intention and continuation at high exercise intensity exceeding ventilatory threshold (VT).
Keywords: Music; activation; affective dimensions; exercise intention; valence.