A study by the New York Academy of Sciences set out to prove that listening to Mozart improves cognitive function. What they found was that listening to any music that is pleasurable to you increases cognitive function. Pleasurable music releases dopamine in certain parts of the brain, making it work better.
When you listen to music, whether you are cognizant of it or not, you are paying close attention to it. During a work out your attention is drawn away from the fact that your body is growing tired; your mind focuses on the music. This attention displacement can help you perform high-stress activities like shooting an important free throw with everyone watching.
Your right brain processes music, while your left brain deals with words and numbers. People with speech impediments are taught to sing their words, instead of speaking them. The right brain helps with the speech, and an impediment such as a stutter can be overcome. The mathematical rhythms, written lyrics and emotional tonality of music help bridge the gap between the two sides of the brain.
In the "Journal of Consumer Marketing" researchers found that music can affect your perception of time. They found this by surveying shoppers in a department store with easy-listening music. People under 25, who did not like the music, thought they'd spent more time in the store than people over 25. Unpleasant music can slow down time.
In 2004, "Science Daily" reported that listening to violent music affected adolescents' moods and emotional perceptions. Adolescents that listened to music with violent lyrics were asked to give their impressions of certain ideas, and their answers were compared to adolescents that listened to the same artists' nonviolent music. The violent listeners trended toward more violent ideas. Music affects the mood and the emotions of an individual, and the effect lingers.