The impact of music on our well-being is a fascinating research topic. The results of a recent study by Canadian researchers show that music may be as effective, or even more effective, than certain medications in relieving pain.
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Nobody (or almost no one) is insensitive to the power of music. If tastes vary, the fourth art touches us deep in our hearts… and our brains. A Canadian study even claims that listening to music would be at least as effective as analgesic medication in reducing the intensity of pain. physicalphysical.
To reach this conclusion, researchers from McGill University in Montreal (Canada) solicited 63 healthy volunteers. They used a probe to heat part of their left arm, so as to cause a burning sensation similar to that of a hot cup of coffee when it came into contact with the skin. The participants of the study, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research, had, at the same time, to listen to two of their favorite songs, a relaxing piece, unstructured music and the sound of silence. And this, for a durationduration of seven minutes.
Music, a way to alleviate pain
At the end of this experiment, the volunteers were asked to rate the pleasantness of the music, their emotional arousal and the number of chills they had felt while listening. This protocolprotocol showed that the perception of the intensity and unpleasantness of pain were significantly reduced when participants listened to one of their favorite songs compared to other sounds. In other words, they seemed less sensitive to pain.
“Our favorite piece of music reduces pain by about one point on a scale of 10”
These results suggest that music could be a non-drug means of reducing the perception of pain in humans. “ We estimate that our favorite piece of music reduces pain by about one point on a scale of 10, which is at least as strong as an over-the-counter pain reliever like Advil (ibuprofen) under the same conditions. “, explained Darius Valevicius, lead author of the study, at Guardian.
According to him and his colleagues, the emotional responses generated by music – or musical thrills, in scientific jargon – play an important role in blocking pain signals. “ The difference in effect on pain intensity involves two mechanisms: shivering may have a physiological effect of sensory inhibition, blocking ascending pain signals, while pleasantness may affect the emotional value of pain without affecting sensation, therefore more at a cognitive-emotional level involving the prefrontal areas of the brainbrain », Underlined Mr. Valevicius to the British daily. However, this theory needs to be studied in further research to verify its veracity.
The effects of different categories of music
In a ecosystemecosystem musical where thousands of new songs appear every day on streaming platforms, it’s a safe bet that most music lovers do not have the same favorite tracks. After speaking with the volunteers, the academics found that those who listened to bittersweet and emotional melodies felt less pain than those who did not. Especially if they had an appetite for soothing or joyful compositions.
As promising as they are, the conclusions of this article should be taken with caution. Indeed, the results obtained have certain limitations, particularly with regard to the duration of listening to the pieces of music and the small size of the panel of volunteers. But they open up a new possible field of exploration for music therapy.
