Self-selected “favourite” stimulative and sedative music listening – how does familiar and preferred music listening affect the body?

Abstract

There is a need for studies looking at the psychophysiological effects of everyday listening to favourite music since such listening is very common in modern societies and the extent to which arousing music can activate biological systems is being discussed.

Effects of listening to two self-selected pieces of favourite music (stimulative and sedative respectively) on both aroused (sad/joyful, listless/energetic, worried/elated) and relaxed (tense/relaxed, anxious/calm) emotions were assessed by means of visual analogue scales. In addition, physiological outcome measures (heart rate, respiration rate and expiratory carbon dioxide) were used.

Experimental subjects were 38 volunteering men and women. Each subject was asked to select his/her favourite “stimulative” music and then the same procedure was done for his/her favourite sedative music. Subjects listened to these two kinds of contrasting self-selected music in random order.

Stimulative music resulted in aroused physiological responses – increased heart rate and respiratory rate as well as decreased carbon dioxide content in exhaled air. It also increased aroused feelings (joyous, elated and energetic), but did not affect sedative emotions (calm and relaxed). The self selected sedative music induced both aroused and sedative emotions and induced a slight but significant increase in heart rate.

There were pronounced arousal effects of the favourite stimulatory music, whereas the effects of favourite sedative music were less predictable.

Keywords:

• psychological stress
• arousal
• relaxation
• music
• heart rate
• breathing