Sounds like music is the sweetest way to tune in

A STUDY about the effects of music on human behaviour has found people with good taste in tunes are more attractive to others.

The study, an online survey of 12,000 listeners in 12 countries including Australia, said music has a significant positive effect on four key areas of life: mood, fitness, relationships, and productivity.

On the scale of love and lust, the Brilliant Sound Survey says sweeter sounds apparently strike a chord with those who have good taste in music.

The study found 70 per cent of respondents say “people with good taste in music are attractive”.

But, perhaps fearing a can of worms, the study, commissioned by audio brand Sonos, did not define what “good” music is.

A similar percentage said they found others more attractive when they have similar taste in music. Seventy-six per cent felt an “instant connection” with others after realising they have similar music tastes.

According to the study, those music matches spice things up in the bedroom, too. Fifty-nine per cent said “music makes sex much better”, while 56 per cent said music can “make them more adventurous in bed”.

However, only 20 per cent said they have “a dedicated playlist for having sex”.

Dr Daniel Mullensiefen, a professor of music psychology, said: “We seem to be hardwired to music. It’s part of our evolution as a species that music has played a part of in social bonding. It might have been useful for sexual mating as well.”

He added that music “can trigger the exact same areas in the brain that food and sex and other recreational activities and drugs can trigger”.

Elsewhere in the study, 74 per cent said listening to music helps reduce stress, with 42 per cent saying podcasts have a relaxing effect.

In the workplace, 76 per cent said listening to music helps produce their best efforts.

The Victorian Music Development Office also released figures that show Australians listen to music three to four hours a day.