Music helps stressed brains recover faster than water sounds in new Beijing study
Researchers in Beijing found that listening to music helped healthy adults recover from stress more quickly than listening to water sounds.
Study participants faced mental math tasks
One hundred twenty volunteers completed a time-pressured mental math exercise designed to trigger stress. Afterward, the group split into two sets where one listened to music and the other heard calming water sounds.
Physical recovery happened faster with music
Those who heard music showed quicker drops in heart rate and sweating compared to the water sound group. Measures of heart-rate variability and cortisol levels also indicated a faster return to normal for the music listeners.
Brain scans show changed communication
Functional MRI scans revealed that listening to music altered communication between three specific brain regions involved in sound processing and emotion. The auditory cortex, insula, and thalamus all showed different activity patterns when participants heard the musical tracks.
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