Written by: Shay Coulson
Can Listening To This Song Help Get Rid Of Your Pain? [Listen]
In our current world where prescribed medicines and symptom-subsiding treatments are emphasized, more and more people are finding natural remedies to assist the body’s health and wellness. The latest? Music.
Music therapy has long been used to enhance one’s wellbeing, with current research even highlighting that attending live concerts can make a person live longer. The most recent findings show that even a specific piece of music can be used to treat acute physical pain.
According to psychology researcher Dr. Claire Howlin, there is a proven relationship between science, pain, and music. Partnering with pain relief expert Nurofen and music producer Anatole, a conservatory-trained trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, a “Tune Out Pain” study was conducted to test the soothing track “All Of Us” on 286 active acute pain sufferers. Research showed that it “reduced levels of pain intensity and unpleasantness in a way that was clinically and statistically significant.”
Producing the track based on “scientific evidence” provided by Dr. Howlin “to elicit a sense of wonder, empowerment and inspire mental strength to help dissociate from pain,” “All Of Us” sits at just over three minutes and fills the space with soothing instrumental and orchestral sounds.
“All Of Us” – Anatole
[Video: Anatole]
“Creating music that was driven by science was an exciting challenge for me as a music producer” said Anatole. “‘All Of Us’ is special because every note, beat and sound is designed to create a particular effect on the listener, based on insights provided by Dr Howlin.”
While the study showed promising results, we unfortunately don’t get any specific numbers, like how many people the track “worked” for or its level of efficacy. However, Nurofen claims that the participants of the study showing acute pain through headaches, backaches, and menstrual cramps reported decreasing levels of pain while listening to the track.
“Music has the ability to give people a big burst of dopamine in their neural reward network. This track reduced both pain intensity and unpleasantness, and to achieve an effect of this size for a completely unfamiliar track really underscores the potential of creating specific pieces of music for pain management,” Dr. Howlin said.
The full results of the Tune Out Pain study will be submitted to an academic journal in the coming months.
Want to test it yourself? Listen to “All Of Us” below and let us know how it helped you.
[H/T Music Radar]