Which music genre relieves the most stress?
Another day finished. You pack up your desk, sit in the car, navigate traffic and get home, the stress of the day job still lingering head to toe, the calmness of your home not quite kicking in yet, so what do you do to speed up much-needed tranquillity? Options include exercise, a bath, or a lie-down. They all sound good, but they also come with one common denominator that links them: music.
If you go onto whatever streaming service you use and look at the playlists you’ve made, there will likely be a good amount of variation compared to the next person whose phone you look at. One glance at mine reveals ‘Road to Bristol 2021’, the rarely used ‘If the date goes well…’ and the used even less, ‘Gym’. There’s another, though, one which, if you were to check the phones of everyone in your vicinity, all would have: the de-stress playlist.
It’s no secret that music can lead to a reduction in stress. For years, people have had music played to wounded soldiers and sick patients as it has been proven to lower heart rates and improve breathing patterns. It’s proven the power of music stretches beyond just the mind. The ability to feel things is there, and it’s a huge factor when people separate music they like from music they don’t, but sound also has physical benefits.
Of course, only specific types of music are actually effective when it comes to relieving stress. The subjectivity of music is what makes it great, but when it comes to unwinding after a long day, unless your method of relaxation is putting windows through and screaming at strangers, the likes of Lamb of God, old school Skrillex and Merzbow won’t cut it.
So, which music genre relieves the most stress?
This begs the question, what music should you listen to if you’re stressed out and need to calm down? Well, we now have the answers, as the ideal music for the burnt-out and burning-up mind has been revealed following numerous scientific studies.
Ideally, slower-tempo music is most effective when you want to chill out. The ideal tempo is about 60 beats per minute, as this speed of song syncs up the brain with alpha brainwaves most effectively. When you listen to music at this speed, you reduce your heart rate and allow both your muscles and mind to relax. You should also avoid music with lyrics in it because lyrics can encourage cognitive processing. You should listen to slow instrumental music that fully allows you to relax.
A few genres fit into this music category, but some of the most effective ones include Celtic music, Native American music, and any genre that uses Indian-stringed instruments. All of these should be enough to help you fully calm down and decompress when the stresses of life are becoming a bit much.
Check out Far Out’s “stress beating songs” below if you need help finding the right music.
