The Psychophysiological Effects of Music and Vibroacoustic Stimulation

Abstract

Vibroacoustic therapy is a treatment method based on the combined effects of music and low frequency sound vibration. The aim of this study was to find out about possible differences between the effects of music alone and vibroacoustic therapy on healthy people. The study was carried out in two series of trials performed according to a repeated measure, within-group design counterbalancing three main conditions — music, vibroacoustic therapy (the same music combined with pulsed low frequency sound), and silence (no stimulation). Following analysis of physiological measurements the results showed significant decreases in blood pressure, pulse rate, muscle oscillation frequency (m. tibialis anterior and m. trapezius) independent of the conditions and sound intensity levels. Clear differences occurred in the case of subjective feeling of health and comfort, measured by bipolar scales of adjectives constructed for the current experiment according to a semantic differential method, when conditions with music and vibroacoustics were compared to silence. There is also some evidence that vibroacoustics may have a wider influence on feelings of health and comfort when compared with music alone. The current study also demonstrated that women can perceive a wider spectrum of change in their subjective status of health and comfort than men in the vibroacoustic therapy condition.

Keywords: Music, Vibroacoustic Therapy, Low frequency sound vibration, Blood pressure, Pulse rate, Muscle tone. Perceived health and comfort, Therapy.