With modern life doing its utmost to stretch us to breaking point, it’s good to know that scientists are working specifically on how to relieve our stress and help us relax.
Perfectly designed to act as a therapy for the mind, Mindlab International and English band Marconi Union created ‘Weightless’ specifically to calm people.
Every aspect of the eight-minute-long song, from the beats per minute, bass line, harmonies and the melody, are designed with the advice of therapists, to access deep parts of the brain and stimulate relaxation.
Try it for yourself…
Dr David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International told the Telegraph:
The results clearly show that the track induced the greatest relaxation – higher than any of the other music tested.
Brain imaging studies have shown that music works at a very deep level within the brain, stimulating not only those regions responsible for processing sound but also ones associated with emotions.
He said that the music was so effective that they would actually advice against driving to it.
The second most relaxing track in the study is Electra by Airstream:
Cleverly, there is no repeating melody in the song which allows your brain to relax as it does not have to worry about spotting a pattern.
It also uses a sustaining rhythm that starts at 60 beats per minute and gradually slows to around 50 which allows your heart rate to slow to the same speed within the eight minutes.
The study, which was commissioned by bubble bath experts Radox Spa, found that the ‘perfect relaxing song’ they played to the 40 women in the study relaxed them more than a massage, walk, or cuppa tea.
The women were connected to sensors and their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and brain activity were recorded after they had been given a stressful puzzle to complete.
You just can’t go wrong with a bit of Enya…
65 per cent of the participants experienced reduced anxiety when they listened to Weightless.
The rest of the songs they found to be incredibly relaxing were:
3. DJ Shah – Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix)
4. Enya – Watermark
5. Coldplay – Strawberry Swing
6. Barcelona – Please Don’t Go
7. All Saints – Pure Shores
8. Adele – Someone Like You
9. Mozart – Canzonetta Sull’aria
10. Cafe Del Mar – We Can Fly
