Even Heavy Metal Can Ease Pain According To Study

Music's not just a distraction: study; Universite de Montreal research suggests sounds you like can cut pain by 15 per cent. Even the head-bobbing beat of a hip-hop track can offer pain relief to the genre's fans, a new study suggests.

Music has long been known to calm and relax. But research at the Universite de Montreal suggests it doesn't merely provide a distraction from pain.

It induces an emotional reaction among listeners that can diminish their pain by up to 15 per cent, the study found.

The impact reflects an individual's musical tastes. Jazz fans may be best soothed by the trumpet sounds of legend Miles Davis, while classical aficionados may find comfort in an orchestral masterpiece.

"Our analyses showed that music the subjects liked had a significant effect on reducing their pain," said Mathieu Roy, 24, a doctoral student in neuropsychology.

Roy exposed 80 university students to pain by attaching hot electrodes to their forearms. Various levels of discomfort were applied while subjects listened to six instrumental music pieces.

The students said the pain diminished most in songs they liked and least when songs with harsh sounds were played or no music was played at all.

"We think that by having a better understanding of the way by which music influences pain, it might help to be integrated into the clinical setting," said Roy, who next wants to study the impact of music on brain activity.

Music therapy is just one of many nonpharmaceutical ways millions of Canadians get relief.

Read the full article at Montreal Gazette.