Music Can Relieve Pain

Some of the best music is inspired by tough break-ups and emotional pain, but fascinating new research finds control over the songs we hear is associated with feeling less physical pain. According to Study Finds, scientists from Queen Mary University and University College Dublin report perceived control over musical choices displays a link with more acute pain relief.

Study participants who were under the impression that they were in control of their own tunes reported less pain than others who did not have musical independence.

Prior research reveals that music has the power to relieve pain, particularly chronic pain (lasting more than 12 weeks). However, the underlying mechanisms behind the relationship between pain and music remain unclear, especially when it comes to acute (short-term) pain.

The basic “features” that make up music, such as tempo or energy, don’t seem to be all that involved in pain relief. Instead, researchers say feeling like you’re in control of your own musical decisions appears to be key to pain relief. Earlier studies on these topics, however, have only used lab-based samples, which failed to investigate music’s impact on real-world, pre-existing acute pain.

To better understand this topic, study authors asked 286 adults dealing with real, everyday acute pain to rate their pain both before and after listening to a musical track. Study authors ensured this track was carefully composed in two different versions of varying complexity.

The participants were randomly assigned to listen to either the low or high-complexity version of the song, while others were randomly given the impression that they had some control over the musical qualities of the song. This wasn’t actually true; everyone heard the same tune regardless of their input.

Ultimately, the experiment revealed participants who felt they had some control over their music experienced stronger pain relief than the other volunteers. According to a series of questionnaires, the group enjoyed both versions of the song, but study authors found no connection between music complexity and the amount of pain relief it provided. The team also notes that those who engaged more actively with music in their day-to-day life enjoyed even better pain relief linked to having a sense of control over their music.

The study is published in PLoS ONE.