Scientists from McGill University found that listening to your favorite music helps reduce pain. The research was published in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research.
Previous research has shown that music can relieve pain, but it wasn’t known which types of tunes worked best. In the new study, participants touched the inside of their forearms with a warm object. According to the authors of the work, this is similar to a hot glass of drink touching the skin. At the same time, seven-minute periods alternated between playing favorite music, unfamiliar relaxing melodies, or silence.
Listening to their favorite music significantly reduced the intensity of participants’ pain and discomfort. Unconventional relaxing tracks didn’t have the same effect. The experiment proves that the reduction in pain is not due only to distraction or the presence of a sound stimulus, otherwise any music can help in the same way. Scientists believe that blocking pain signals may be responsible for the tingling, chills, or goosebumps that occur when listening to music.
The researchers also asked participants about their emotional reactions to their favorite music. It turns out that music that evokes poignant memories or experiences that combine sadness and pleasant emotions leads to better “pain relief.”
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