Researchers in Canada have discovered that listening to your favorite music can act as a powerful painkiller. The study, conducted at McGill University in Montreal, found that participants who listened to their preferred tunes experienced a reduction in pain intensity by about four points on a 100-point scale, compared to silence or scrambled sound. The participants also rated the pain as less unpleasant by about nine points when listening to their favorite tracks.
The researchers asked 63 healthy participants to rate the intensity and unpleasantness of a hot sensation on their left arm while listening to different types of music or experiencing silence. They found that the emotional responses generated by the music played a crucial role in reducing pain. Music that produced more “chills” – tingling or goosebumps – was associated with lower pain intensity and unpleasantness.
Darius Valevicius, the first author of the study, compared the pain-reducing effect of favorite music to that of over-the-counter painkillers. He stated that favorite music reduced pain by about one point on a 10-point scale, which is similar to the pain-relieving effect of ibuprofen.
The researchers believe that the chills induced by music may have a physiological sensory-gating effect, blocking ascending pain signals. On the other hand, the pleasantness of the music may affect the emotional value of pain at a cognitive-emotional level.
However, the study had limitations, as it is not yet clear if moving music would have the same chill-inducing effect in individuals who do not favor it. The relaxing music used in the study may not have been played for a sufficient duration to observe its effect on pain.
Dr. Brendan Rooney from University College Dublin’s school of psychology, who was not involved in the study, expressed skepticism about the special quality of music itself in relieving pain. He suggested that participants’ perception of pain when listening to music might influence their report of how they feel. However, he acknowledged that the findings support his team’s previous research showing that music chosen by individuals has a stronger painkilling effect.
The results of this study highlight the potential benefits of using music as an analgesic tool. Patients experiencing pain may benefit from curating their own pain-relieving playlist, according to Dr. Rooney. This approach empowers individuals to personalize their pain management and utilize music and entertainment for pain relief.
Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms behind music’s pain-reducing effects and to investigate whether different genres or specific songs have varying analgesic properties. However, these findings offer promising insights into the potential therapeutic use of music in pain management.