Among the different styles of music, hits from the 80s seem to be the most soothing.
- Hits from the 1980s might spark nostalgia in many people, and their happy, festive sounds can trigger the release of endorphins and serotonin in the brain, which increases feelings of happiness and calm.
- Heavy metal emerged as the second most soothing musical style.
- At the bottom of the chart are 70s rock, dubstep, jazz and blues.
Listening to music is good for your health. A World Health Organization (WHO) meta-analysis of 900 searches on music and presented in 2019 listed the benefits it provides: stress reduction, lower blood pressure and even less pain. In this new research, relayed by the New York Postscientists suggest that of the various styles of music, hits released in the 80s seem to be the most effective in lowering blood pressure and heart rate.
Nostalgia and happy notes
The study was carried out by the Turkish cosmetic surgery center Vera Clinic with 1,540 volunteers, aged 18 to 65. They were subjected to stressful situations during which they listened to different styles of music such as hits from the 1960s, rock from the 70s, or R&B from the 90s, jazz or even dubstep. The results revealed that hits from the 80s had the most stress-relieving effects. Among the participants, 96% noticed a drop in their blood pressure while listening to this type of tunes and 36% felt a drop in their heart rate.
“The results may seem surprising at first, but medically they make a lot of senseanalyzes Dr. Ömer Avlanmis, author of the study. Hits from the 1980s might spark nostalgia in many people, and their happy, festive sounds can trigger the release of endorphins and serotonin in the brain, which increases feelings of happiness and calm.” Among the titles of this era that have been played, we find “Call me” by Blondie, “Freedom” by Wham!, “I’s a sin” by the Pet Shop Boys or even “Kids in America” by Kim Wilde.
70’s rock, dubstep, jazz and blues among the least soothing
More surprisingly, heavy metal emerged as the second most soothing musical style. About one in four people (18%) said they saw their heart rate decrease when listening to this musical genre and 89% reported a drop in their blood pressure. The music of the 2000s, classical with in particular the soundtrack of the series “The Bridgerton Chronicle” and the R&B of the 1990s complete the top 5. At the bottom of the ranking, we find rock of the 70s, dubstep, jazz and blues.
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