Music may soothe the savage beast, but it can up your game and competitiveness, too. Seems you can amplify your sense of power, improve your abstract thinking, and cut your reaction time, by cranking up the music. So for would-be athletes, nervous job applicants and the slightly weary, turning on the tunes can be transformative.

Music’s sound waves can actually alter your nervous system as your brain waves begin to resemble the sound waves you’re hearing. But choose your tunes carefully. Figure out what works best to produce the emotions and motivation you want in various situations. It can also work to your benefit if the music is on the calmer side: We know that music can also help reduce anxiety in cancer patients, ease patient stress during surgery (according to researchers from Dr. Mike’s Cleveland Clinic), and promote healing.

Just one caution: Biking or rollerblading with earbuds can prevent you from being aware of what’s around you. That can land you in the ER, where all you’ll hear is the tweet-tweet of cartoon canaries.