A recent study, published in Frontiers in Pain Research, has discovered that emotional responses to relaxing and favorite music can predict a reduction in pain, known as hypoalgesia.
The study highlights the potential for music as a non-pharmacological intervention to alleviate pain and anxiety in patients. The researchers emphasize the importance of understanding the emotional and psychological factors involved in the pain-relieving effects of music, particularly when individuals listen to their favorite songs.
Details of the Study
The study involved 63 healthy participants, with an average age of 21.3 years. Painful thermal stimuli were applied to the participants’ inner forearm using a thermal contact probe.
Each participant selected two of their favorite songs, with a minimum length of three minutes and twenty seconds. These songs represented their all-time favorites and were chosen based on the question, “Which tracks would you bring to a desert island?” Additionally, participants were exposed to relaxing music provided by a company. The experiment involved pairing thermal stimulations with music excerpts.
The procedure consisted of different conditions, including favorite music, relaxing music, scrambled versions, and silence. Each condition lasted for seven minutes and comprised eight cycles of music and stimulation. Participants rated the intensity and unpleasantness of the pain after each stimulation. They also indicated the number of chills, emotional arousal, and pleasantness associated with the music. At the end of the session, participants answered questions about their favorite songs and music. A thematic content analysis was conducted to determine the effects of specific themes on pain ratings.
Favorable Effects of Favorite Music
The results of the study revealed that favorite music significantly reduced the intensity and unpleasantness of the pain compared to scrambled music and silence. While the relaxing music did not have a significant impact on pain intensity, it showed some potential in reducing unpleasantness. Favorite music also outperformed relaxing music in decreasing pain. No significant differences were observed between scrambled music and silence.
Participants reported experiencing more chills when listening to music as compared to scrambled versions. Moreover, favorite music received higher average ratings for pleasantness and chills than relaxing music. The presence of chills had a noticeable influence on pain unpleasantness and intensity. However, the pleasantness of the music did not have a significant effect on pain intensity. Emotional arousal ratings did not impact pain levels either.
The researchers further analyzed the data to determine whether emotional responses could explain the difference in pain reduction between relaxing and favorite music. The results indicated that chills played a significant role in mediating pain intensity and unpleasantness. Music pleasantness, on the other hand, did not significantly affect pain unpleasantness. Additionally, a thematic analysis identified several themes related to listening time, activities, emotion, musical aspects, and associations.
Among the emotion themes, happiness was the most frequently reported, with participants often expressing that music made them happy. While calming/relaxing music had no significant impact, moving/bittersweet music showed a near-significant effect on pain unpleasantness. Other themes did not appear to have a notable effect. Further analysis revealed a significant association between the moving/bittersweet theme and subjective emotions. Notably, chills were negatively associated with happy/cheerful, energizing/activating, and relaxing/calming themes.
Conclusion
The study concludes that listening to favorite music can significantly reduce pain intensity, unpleasantness, and overall pain levels compared to silence and scrambled music. Relaxing music, although less effective, did show some potential in reducing pain unpleasantness. The presence of chills played a significant role in mediating the effects of music on pain. Furthermore, moving/bittersweet music was found to have a superior effect on decreasing pain. However, further research is necessary to validate these findings and gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms.
