Listening to music, a practice spanning centuries for its potential to alleviate pain, has recently been examined by Canadian researchers to pinpoint which elements of this experience contribute to diminished pain perception.
According to Frontiers, this study shows that participants reported reduced pain intensity and unpleasantness when listening to their favorite music as opposed to pre-selected calming melodies commonly used in clinical settings.
Additionally, unlike other emotionally charged genres, music with bittersweet undertones further mitigated the unpleasantness associated with pain.
A woman listens to some music with headphones during the Cherry Blossom, on April 7, 2023, in Battersea Park, in London.
Music as Drug-Free Method to Alleviate Pain
This study delved into music's potential as a drug-free method to diminish pain perception, known as hypoalgesia. This phenomenon arises when pain signals are disrupted between their point of origin and the conscious mind's recognition of them as pain.
The study, conducted by Darius Valevicius, a doctoral student at the Université de Montréal in collaboration with the Roy Pain Lab at McGill University, underscores the significant impact of personally favored music on acute thermal pain reduction, surpassing the effects of unfamiliar calming tunes.
The researchers found that emotional responses are crucial in determining music's impact on pain perception. To determine the most effective genre of music for pain relief, participants were exposed to mildly uncomfortable thermal stimuli on their inner forearms, simulating the sensation of a hot teacup against the skin.
Each stimulus was accompanied by music excerpts lasting about seven minutes. In comparison to control tracks or periods of silence, individuals showed a notable reduction in both the intensity and discomfort of pain when listening to their favored music.
On the contrary, unfamiliar calming melodies did not produce the same outcome, indicating that the influence was not solely attributed to distraction or the presence of sound.
Furthermore, the researchers delved into how distinct emotional themes embedded in music could adjust its capacity to alleviate pain. Participants were also interviewed regarding their emotional reactions to their preferred music, with themes falling into categories such as energizing/activating, happy/cheerful, calming/relaxing, and moving/bittersweet.
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'Musical Chills'
The study found that various emotional themes differed in their ability to alleviate pain. Reports of moving or bittersweet emotional experiences correlated with lower ratings of pain unpleasantness, attributed to heightened enjoyment of the music and increased occurrences of "musical chills."
These chills, while not fully understood, appeared to signify a neurophysiological process effective in blocking pain signals, according to the research. The study acknowledged its limitations, including the duration of music exposure.
Further research is warranted to explore the effectiveness of favorite music in contexts beyond thermal pain stimuli and its application to chronic pain or mechanical stimulation.
Valevicius emphasized the pioneering nature of their exploration into the psychological dimensions of pain relief through music, particularly in the context of emotional themes, indicating a wealth of untapped research potential in this area.
The research team's findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research.
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