People love music because it touches the strings of the soul. Recently, however, it has increasingly been discussed as an effective pain reliever.
Renowned British dietitian and television presenter Michael Mosley has personally experienced this effect while listening to his favorite soundtracks.
To test the miraculous power of music, Dr. Mosley decided to try it during a dental appointment. While having a troublesome tooth treated, he listened to his favorite music through headphones. (For those curious about Mr. Mosley’s preferences, his playlist included hits from U2 and The Prodigy.)
According to the patient, the procedure turned out to be completely painless. However, he did have a chuckle when he received the bill.
A Fantastic Effect Backed by Science
The study that inspired him to conduct this self-experiment was published last month in the journal Frontiers by researchers from the Pain Center at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The scientists asked 63 volunteers to choose their favorite music. Then, the team had participants listen to either their chosen music or tracks selected by the researchers.
During the listening session, the researchers briefly applied a thermal probe to the volunteers’ forearms—a device resembling a heated stick. The sensations were quite painful, akin to pressing a hot coffee mug against the skin. However, it certainly did not cause any serious harm.
The researchers found that participants who listened to their favorite melodies experienced the least pain. This reduction in pain was equivalent to taking a strong over-the-counter painkiller. The effect was particularly pronounced in volunteers who reported feeling chills while listening to their favorite tracks.
This aligns with another study published in 2015 in The Lancet. In this research, a team from Brunel University (Norway) and Queen Mary University of London examined the results of 72 studies involving around 7,000 patients. They were exposed to music before, during, or after surgery. The researchers compared their pain responses to those of participants in a control group who did not listen to music under identical conditions, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The scientists discovered that patients who listened to music experienced significantly less anxiety after surgery and required far fewer pain medications. Remarkably, some individuals reported less pain after surgery, even if the music was only playing during the procedure.
Michael Mosley also cited the results of another fascinating study that focused not on pain relief but on the antihypertensive effects of melodies. In 2005, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (USA) asked ten volunteers to spend 30 minutes listening to music that brought them joy and music that caused them anxiety. When participants listened to joyful music, their blood vessels dilated by an average of 26 percent. This effect lasted for several hours, while listening to anxious music caused the vessels to constrict by 6 percent.
The Great Power of Musical Art
Despite numerous studies, the exact secret behind music’s pain-relieving properties remains unclear. As Dr. Mosley recalled, one theory suggests that favorite melodies trigger the release of endocannabinoids. These endogenous lipid-based substances, which act similarly to marijuana, are produced naturally by our bodies.
Michael Mosley shared his experience participating in a recent experiment conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham. The team measured the levels of endocannabinoids in the blood of the dietitian and other participants before and after singing in a choir or after a 30-minute workout on a stationary bike. Both activities led to a significant increase in endocannabinoid levels. However, the effect from singing was twice as pronounced as from exercising.
According to Mr. Mosley, one in three elderly people in the UK suffers from chronic pain. Therefore, it would be wonderful to see more evidence of music’s pain-relieving effects. Moreover, unlike medications, music is a simple, inexpensive, and enjoyable remedy.