As soon as you get in the car, many intuitively turn on the radio. New research has now shown that you can do something good for your health.
Driving is stressful. And it’s getting more and more stressful. Especially in big cities, it is noticeable that certified pre-owned cars are appearing on the streets. This leads to traffic jams, long wait times, aggression, and often makes people feel sick early in the morning. There is ample evidence that stress and the associated increased release of the hormone cortisol can damage the cardiovascular system in the long term and promote a heart attack.
Music is a great way to relax
As researchers at the State University of Sao Paulo (UNESP) in Brazil have discovered, there are fun ways to significantly reduce this stress factor through music. This may not be particularly surprising, considering that the vast majority of drivers naturally turn on their favorite music as soon as the engine runs. It is worth scrutinizing the results of this survey. In their experiment, five women between the ages of 18 and 23 were put into a completely strange car. Then they sent the participants on two different days for 20 minutes at rush hour through the middle of a Brazilian city. Once they were allowed to listen to “instrumental music”, the other time not. Meanwhile, her heart rate was measured.
Clear result
Incidentally, the researchers decided on gender in order to rule out deviations due to sex hormones. And the measurement results proved to be very clear: without music, the women`s hearts beat much faster, which is due to increased blood pressure and thus increased stress levels. On the other hand, when the best music was heard from the loudspeakers, all participants were more relaxed in traffic and drove with less cortisol in their blood. Researchers are aware that five testers are drawn more as random samples, but “the results are very meaningful.”
Melancholic Sounds Have the Strongest Effect
In another New York University study commissioned by Ford and Spotify in 2017, melancholic songs of everything have a positive effect on the mood while driving, up to two long-term. Time to claim that it has been found to have a positive effect. The relaxing effect on the mind is related to the depth and frequency of the song. Also, the most thoughtful lyrics guarantee that “we remember the difficult experiences we have overcome and learned.” The ideal performers are Lana Del Rey, Adele, Amy Winehouse, and the recommended Justin Bieber songs.