Cuing up some Calvin Harris or Macklemore during short, intense workouts might change how we feel about the exercise, according to a useful new study of how listening to jaunty music can encourage us to push ourselves harder. The study also found, though, that other types of distractions, such as podcasts, may not have the same effect.

High-intensity interval workouts are quite popular at the moment, touted by trainers, coaches, scientists and this column as a way to exercise effectively without investing much time. Consisting of brief bursts of taxing effort interspersed with rest, high-intensity interval training, or H.I.I.T., can often improve people’s health and fitness to about the same extent as sustained jogging or similar training, studies show, but in a fraction of the time.

These workouts are intense, however, by definition, and some people find them intimidating or physically unpleasant. A few past studies suggest that people who are new to exercise are especially prone to dislike or avoid high-intensity training.

Understanding this hesitancy, some H.I.I.T. researchers have begun to wonder how intense workouts might be made more tolerable and appealing. Music is one obvious possibility. A wealth of past science suggests that listening to music changes how we experience exercise of all types, nudging us to feel less bored or tired and more motivated.