Music's natural rhythm proven to effectively ease pain
The saying that music soothes the soul has been around for a long time. It turns out that it can also relieve pain. Recent research suggests that music that aligns with a person's natural rhythm can effectively alleviate pain symptoms.
Music has been used for centuries as a means to ease pain, and modern scientific research confirms its effectiveness, especially when it matches a person's natural rhythm. A team of researchers from McGill University in Montreal found that playing music at a pace that corresponds to an individual's internal rhythm can significantly reduce the sensation of pain.
Very few studies have explored specific aspects of music to understand how it affects the brain, said Mathieu Roy, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill and co-author of the study. The studies conducted so far indicate that soothing and relaxing music is the most effective. The current analyses focused on whether "tempo -- the rate at which a passage is produced and one of music’s core elements -- could influence its capacity to reduce pain."
Prof. Caroline Palmer from McGill University emphasizes that every person has their own unique, spontaneous speed of production (SPR), which is closely correlated with the circadian rhythm. As Prof. Roy explained, neuronal oscillations, which regulate our preferred tempo, can be more easily modified by music, provided it closely matches our individual rhythm.
The scientists decided to test their theory in practice. The study involved 60 people, some of whom were professional musicians and some not. During the tests, they were exposed to mild pain stimuli accompanied by music played at different tempos or in silence.
It turned out that listening to music significantly reduced the perceived pain compared to the pain felt in silence. Importantly, the pain was less regardless of the tempo of the piece. However, the greatest pain relief occurred when the music matched the natural rhythm of the specific participant.
Plans for the future
The researchers plan further studies aimed at understanding how music affects the brain. In the future, they intend to use electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain activity and see if neuronal discharges synchronize with the tempo of the music. These studies could offer new possibilities for treating chronic pain and pain associated with medical procedures.
Music, as an inexpensive and non-invasive method, has the potential to become an important tool in pain therapy. The findings of the McGill University researchers can contribute to a better understanding of how to tailor music to the individual needs of patients to more effectively ease their ailments.
