Listening to music while exercising could improve intelligence, according to a recent study.

Completed by a research team at The Ohio State University, the study analyzed volunteers who listened to Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” while running on a treadmill and found those who listened did much better on tests of verbal ability than when they exercised without music.

The team from Ohio State, led by psychologist Charles Emery, studied 33 men and women, who all said they felt better emotionally and mentally after working out with the music. Their improvement on the verbal fluency test doubled after listening to music on the treadmills.

Erik Lind, graduate student in health and human performance, has done research on this topic and said he was aware of Emery’s study and the study’s look at cognitive performance.

Lind said it is difficult to determine whether or not listening to music increases brain power.

“I guess it depends on what you mean by ‘brain power.’ Some research suggests that exercise alone has a more positive impact on cognitive tasks that require planning, scheduling, working memory and multitasking,” Lind said.

Lind also suggested another reason for the increased positive performance on the tests.

“Another line of research seems to suggest that listening to music while exercising can serve as a distraction from the pain and discomfort of exercising, allowing individuals to exercise longer. Additionally, listening to music while exercising appears to enhance an individual’s feelings of pleasure, which highlights the psychological benefits of exercise,” he said.

Nick Larsen, junior in psychology, said he always exercises to music. Larsen said he thinks certain styles of music, like heavy metal, work better than others because they seem to have an effect on adrenaline.

Larsen said he is not sure if listening to music while exercising makes him smarter.

“I would say it is possible, but more than anything, I think exercising in general helps you study better,” he said. “I know I usually leave the gym feeling pretty good, and my head is pretty clear. To me, those would be excellent studying conditions.”

Shea Leslein, senior in management information systems, said he also exercises to music.

“Music helps break up the monotony of working out. Some of the songs also reflect some things you are passionate about in life, and you can use that motivation in the gym,” Leslein said.

Leslein said he, too, was unsure if exercising to music could help his performance in school.

“I suppose it’s possible. If I listen to ‘gym’ music outside the gym, I automatically think about working out,” he said. “I suppose it could be a way to associate information.”