2023-12-05 18:00:00
Addictive waves, without side effects, to be consumed without moderation, analgesic properties: this is what could be included on playlists prescribed as part of pain protocols. Music therapy is gradually progressing in this area. The latest study? A work carried out by a team of Quebec researchers from the University of Montreal.
To find the most effective music for calming pain, these scientists subjected volunteers “to moderately painful thermal stimuli to the inside of the forearm, causing a sensation similar to that of a hot cup of tea being held against the skin.
At the same time, “these stimuli were associated with musical excerpts, each lasting approximately seven minutes”. The researchers then “asked participants about their emotional reactions to their favorite music and assigned them themes: energizing/activating, happy/cheerful, calm/relaxing, and moving/bitter.”
A moving song
Compared to the control groups (volunteers who did not listen to music or unknown music), “the favorite music chosen by the participants had a much greater effect on reducing pain”, describes Professor Darius Valevicius, principal author of the study. Furthermore, “emotionally provoking music seems effective in reducing pain because it triggers a feeling of pleasure and relaxation.”
“We confirm that under the influence of music, a neurophysiological process blocks pain signals. » And can even go so far as to cause chills in some people which “can manifest as tingling or goosebumps”.
Other types of pain under study
The researchers still pose two limits to their work. Nothing says that unfamiliar but relaxing music listened to in sessions longer than seven minutes repeatedly could not have the same effect. A point to avoid therefore.
And we will also need to investigate the pain panel more widely. To find out whether “listening to favorite music is also effective with other non-thermal painful stimuli, such as mechanical stimulation or chronic pain”.
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