Canada: A new study suggests that our favourite music can act as an effective pain reliever. Music has been known for a while to ease pain, and recent studies indicate this pain relief might extend to babies.
Furthermore, research shows that the music we prefer can provide stronger pain relief than the soothing music chosen for us. Scientists suggest that the emotions stirred by the music are also significant.
“We can approximate that favourite music reduced pain by about one point on a 10-point scale, which is at least as strong as an over-the-counter painkiller like Advil under the same conditions. Moving music may have an even stronger effect,” remarked Mr. Darius Valevicius, the first author of the research from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
In the Pain Research journal, Mr. Valevicius and fellow researchers detail a study where they had 63 healthy volunteers visit McGill University’s Roy Pain Laboratory. During the experiment, a probe device was used to heat a spot on their left arm, creating a sensation similar to the warmth of a hot cup of coffee against the skin.
The volunteers listened to either two of their favourite songs, soothing music chosen for them, random music, or experienced silence during the process.
The participants were required to assess the intensity and discomfort of the pain while music, sound, or silence played during the experiment. Each participant underwent each condition for roughly seven minutes, involving eight pain stimulations and eight pain rating sessions.
After the auditory phase, the participants were also asked to evaluate the music’s pleasantness, their emotional arousal, and the occurrence of chills those sudden, tingling sensations linked to intense emotions or heightened attention.
The results indicate that when listening to their favourite songs, participants rated the pain as approximately four points less intense on a 100-point scale and about nine points less unpleasant compared to silence or scrambled sound. However, the relaxing music chosen for them did not produce a similar effect.
TRENDING | Baby formula machines failing to stop bacteria; Study
