Stressed? Science says that this song will calm things down by 65%.
We’ve all used music to de-stress and chill, but what songs are the most effective? That’s highly subjective, of course, be we can also consult science if we want to maximize our relaxation.
This song, “Weightless” by UK ambient group, has been determined to have godlike properties when you have the need to power down with music.
Nice. But why is this particular piece of music so good at calming us down? For that, we need to consult research conducted by Mindlab International.
A group of people was brought together and asked to solve some difficult puzzles as quickly as possible while different pieces of music were played. The challenge of the puzzles was specifically designed to raise stress levels, something that was monitored through heart rate and blood pressure. After it was all over, “Weightless” reduced anxiety levels during the exercise by 65%.
Why? “Weightless” starts at 60 BPM and then slowly drops to 50 BPM, which encourages heart rates and breathing to slow naturally. This shift in physiology leads to relaxation. There are no sharp transitions or key changes anywhere over the eight minutes, meaning that the brain isn’t jerked back to alertness, even the subtlest way. In other words, the song provides almost zero mental stimulation.
Give it a shot and see if it works for you. Read more here.
