The Science Of Music’s Ability To Reduce Stress

Music is essential to many people’s functioning. They listen while they drive, while they exercise, while they cook, while they work out, and in many other settings.

And this isn’t for no reason: music has a fascinating calming ability for many people. While this isn’t universal, it is very calming for many.

Music can greatly reduce stress. This isn’t just self-reported -there is science backing up the stress reduction we experience when music is playing.

Today I’m going to explore the ways that music scientifically creates a feeling of calmness in the body.

Classical Music – Slow And Quiet

When was the last time you listened to classical music? If it has been some time, you might want to download this type of playlist, because it can reduce your stress significantly.

Classical music is found to be especially beneficial on our physiology. It slows our pulse down, our heart rate down, and it lowers our blood pressure.

These are all the functions that are dramatically increased when we are stressed, anxious, or fearful.

Classical music is counteracting the physiological stress response that the body has, making it a powerful intervention to utilize when needed.

You might consider searching through your Pandora or Spotify playlists and adding this genre.

It Grabs Our Attention And Helps Distract Us

In the past (before I started working from home), I have spent so many mornings driving to work listening to my favourite new songs on the radio and forgotten altogether about the anxieties of preparing for the day’s meetings, tasks, and interactions that will take place. Music is a powerful distraction tool.

Often when we are stressed, we are so inundated with thoughts that we cannot separate from them. What music does is it helps distract us and disengage from the intrusive stress thoughts so that we can ground ourselves a bit.

Because of this, music can be very helpful when used as a tool during meditation practice.

Music Encourages Coordination And Communication

Research has found that specifically in children with disabilities, music helped to encourage coordination and improvements.

This could be why we often find music helpful in our morning routines – it helps to ground us into our routine and ensure that we complete it. This kind of benefit from music has great quality of life improvements as well.

Music Can Reduce The Sensation And Distress Of Chronic Pain

For individuals experiencing chronic pain, for example, arthritis, music has been found to be very helpful.

Research has found that it reduces the sensation of the pain. It also reduces the distress experienced by the pain.

A friend of mine works as as a social worker in facilities, and she remembers observing patients with chronic pain playing music often. She recalls the experience where she thought that it was helpful to their quality of life.

This research has found that there is science supporting music reducing the physical pain experience as well.

Music Can Reduce Levels Of Depression And Raise Self-esteem

Research done with elderly patients found music to be very beneficial, especially considering that mental health difficulties are prevalent in aging individuals. Isolation and loneliness are very high for elderly persons.

Music was found to reduce levels of depression and increase self-esteem. This is so important for not only elderly people but all people.

The feelings during depression can result in significant self-harm and even death. If music can help to decrease this, it helps to ensure better overall outcomes.

Music Helps The Nervous System Recover Faster Post Stress

Research has found that listening to music prior to a stressful event occurring helps the autonomic nervous system recovery faster from said stressor. (The autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling the body’s heart rate, digestion processes, respiratory rate, pupillary responses, urination, and sexual arousal.)

When we experience stress, the above functions are often affected significantly. For example, our heart rate becomes rapid, we may have stomach pain or nausea, as well as other symptoms.

Music allows the body to return to its baseline or normal state after such a stressful event.

Music Helps Us Return To A Relaxed State

If you are experiencing stress, you are probably not even thinking about the possibility of being relaxed anytime soon. Unfortunately because of how the body responds to stress, that may be true.

However, listening to music will help return us closer to a relaxed state. It does this by modulating the anxiety levels that stress can induce in us.

When we are relaxed, we are more likely to make better decisions in our personal lives, professional lives, and in our relationships. Life feels much easier to navigate when we are relaxed and not experiencing stress or anxiety.

In fact, a decrease in anxiety is the most significant finding in studies on the impacts of music on the body.

Music Reminds Us Of Fond Memories

Taking a trip down memory lane can be helpful in our mental and emotional health. For example, when we are missing someone (either because we are apart, or because that person is no longer with us), it can be very helpful to be reminded of the positive memories with that person.

In long distance relationships this is useful too. When my wife and I were dating online (because we were in different countries at the time), we had one piece of music that was “ours”. I would often play it when we weren’t online talking, because I knew that she would likely be listening to it thousands of miles away – and that was a comforting thought, a way of being together even if we weren’t physically together yet.

Music helps to transport us to other places. Music is associated with memories, good or bad. If we listen to music that prompts good memories, it can help us to feel happy and less stressed than before.

Music Helps To Improve Concentration

I don’t know how many times I’ve felt stressed because of fear related to not performing to high standards. This fear is reduced when I perform well but in order to perform well, I have to be well focused. This kind of stress is the traditional stress experienced by college students or those in high-pressure jobs.

Music helps to improve concentration and connection to a task or an activity. This is why professional athletes listen to a specific song before games and why we like it when we work out. This is why many people have background music on in their offices at work. This is why it can help during labor. Music can ground us to what we are doing.

This is interesting because if we want it to, as we mentioned above, music can help to distract us as well. It’s a versatile intervention in this way.

Music Helps To Improve Immune System Functions

Stress and sickness often go hand in hand. One can induce the other (i.e. psychosomatic and somatopsychic) as well as prolong the other.

Our immune system is essential to fending off sicknesses, and music can help to improve the immune system.

Research has found that listening to music will in fact boost immune system functioning. Listening to just 50 minutes of music can help your body increase its production of antibodies. (Antibodies are proteins that help the body to counteract antigens that target the body such as bacteria and viruses.)

Choice Of Music

One important note though – be careful to choose the right type of music. As an obvious example, high-intensity electronic or punk rock music might not be best for calming you down.

As I said above, classical music is great, but again, there is a wide range of styles of classical music, from slow and relaxing (e.g. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata) to fast-paced and energetic (e.g.. Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance).

And if you’re looking for something to help you focus and concentrate, instrumental music will be more effective than most music with lyrics (with the possible exception of Gregorian chants, which are used by many authors when writing).

So be prepared to experiment a bit to discover what works best for your specific needs and situation.

And finally, some people actually find that learning to play a musical instrument can be beneficial too, in terms of reducing stress and anxiety. Instruments such as the guitar or piano are popular choices, but again, whatever works best for you.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a reason to make music a part of your routine, I’ve given you several, and they all positively affect the body’s experience with stress.

Classical music (or anything else you find works for you) will help reduce your stress greatly. It can help you in a variety of situations. It will help you when you need to be distracted and when you need to stay present. It will improve your physical and mental health and that will greatly improve your life.

And finally, why not check out my Tuning Out With Tunes – The 10-Step Musical Meditation Technique Anybody Can Master?

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Music And Your Brain
2. Relaxing Music