Taking Music Lesson To Reduce Stress

Musical training can be a good activity for reducing stress, and it is the type of music, not its rhythm, that influences cardiovascular changes in the heart.

The findings, previously published in the journal Heart, are based on various aspects of breathing and circulation in 24 young men and women, collected before and while listening to short extracts of music.

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Half of the participants were trained musicians who had been playing an instrument for at least seven years. The others received no musical education.

Each participant listened to short pieces of different music in random order for two minutes, then listened to the same set of pieces for four minutes each. A two-minute break was randomly inserted into each of these sequences. Participants heard raga (Indian classical), Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (slow classical), rap (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Vivaldi (fast classical), techno and Anton Webern (slow twelve-tone music ).

Faster music and more complex rhythms increased breathing and circulation regardless of style, while fast classical music and techno had the same effect. But the faster the music, the higher the level of physiological arousal. Likewise, slower or more meditative music had the opposite effect, with ragga music causing the greatest decrease in heart rate.

But during pause periods, all measures of physiological arousal fell below the level recorded before participants started listening to a piece of music.

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This effect occurred regardless of musical style or listener preferences, but was stronger in musicians trained to synchronize their breathing with musical phrases.

Researchers say passive listening to music initially results in different levels of arousal proportional to tempo, while relief is achieved through slower beats or pauses. Therefore, researchers suspect that it could be beneficial for heart disease and stroke.

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Source: Newswise

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