The effects of music on psychological and physiological stress

Abstract

Many people regularly listen to music for stress reduction and for healing. A number of studies have investigated the effects of music on psychological and physiological states. However, there have been few studies to examine the effects of music on recovery from stress states. Therefore, the present study investigated how psychophysiological stress states can be recovered through listening to music. Sixteen participants (3 men and 13 women) were assigned both to a music-condition and to a no music-condition, and performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The psychological parameters, stress hormones (salivary cortisol and salivary chromogra-nin A) and autonomic indices (heart rate and heart rate variability; HRV) were measured. All parameters, except autonomic indices, significantly increased after the TSST. Psychological parameters and salivary cortisol showed more significant reduction in participants listening to music than in participants who did not listen to music. When participants listened to music, the heart rate increased and the high frequency of HRV decreased. There was no change in salivary chromogranin A and low frequency/high frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio) of HRV. These results suggest that listening to music led to sympathetic nervous activation rather than parasympathetic nervous activation. Within physiological parameters, salivary cortisol corresponded to psychological stress state most. It could be interpreted that uplifting music made sympathetic nervous activation and led to exultation or excitement rather than to relaxation. Therefore, the autonomic indices would also be corresponding to psychological stress states.