Linda Blair Why music really does have the power to heal

Scientists at Harvard have embarked on a project to discover whether some types of song can be universally recognised. In their first study, Samuel Mehr and colleagues asked 750 internet users in 60 countries to listen to short clips of songs they had collected from more than 80 traditional societies, then to classify each – for example, as a lullaby, love song, dance tune or “healing” song.

Easy enough, you’d think. Yet early results proved inconclusive, with mixed reactions from scholars. Undaunted, they’re hoping to repeat the experiment, recruiting individuals from isolated groups who’ve had little contact with Western culture and therefore might think differently about musical genres. Either way, the spirited reaction to their work is a reminder of the powerful role of music.

One of the most widely researched areas is the relationship between music and stress. Cori Pelletier at Florida State University reviewed 22 studies and concluded that music can significantly reduce stress levels, anxiety and heart rate. Daisy Fancourt at Roehampton University looked at the effects of music on various brain chemicals and found not only a link to reduced stress, but also to an increased immune response.

Music can help not only to relieve anxiety, but also to manage pain, as Ulrica Nilsson at Örebro University in Sweden found in her review of 42 trials about the effects of music in perioperative settings.

Fitness enthusiasts like music during workouts. In a review of literature on this area, Costas Karageorghis and Peter Terry at Brunel University College found that music increases energy expenditure and lifts mood, while reducing the perception of effort.

However, it’s important to be aware of the effect music has on your eating behaviour if you’re trying to lose weight. Thomas Roballey and colleagues at Fairfield University played fast and slow music to diners. They found that when the tempo was fast, diners chewed faster but finished eating about the same time as those who heard slow music, suggesting that fast music may encourage overeating.

Finally, there’s a wellknown effect of music on shopping behaviour. Richard Yalch and Eric Spangenberg at the University of Washington showed that music can increase consumer spending as well as enjoyment – but only if the music is appropriate for the intended audience, and only when it’s not played too loudly. David Hargreaves at the University of Leicester added that variety is also important: constant repetition soon irritates.

In so many ways, music affects us. However, although the aspects that interest Mehr and his team – tempo, tone, complexity – are important, there’s one factor that overrides all others. If the music you hear is familiar, your reaction will be most powerfully determined by the specific memory it calls up.