The Effects of Music Genre on Physiological Measures of Stress from Arithmetic Testing
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Date
2017Author
Kazen, Lexi
Akbulut, Gulnihal
Wagaman, Bradley
Choudhury, Emidur
Pass, Scott
Zamzow, Elise
Publisher
Journal of Advanced Student Sciences (JASS)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Stress is a common and unavoidable phenomenon in humans due to the numerous
pressures and obligations that are experienced on a regular basis. Although stress is a necessary
physiological mechanism, excess stress can lead to adverse outcomes, thereby decreasing an
individual’s overall quality of life. Countless methods are utilized by people all over the world in
attempt to overcome elevated levels of stress. Among these methods is listening to music. This
study looked at the effectiveness of high versus low arousal music, in the forms of heavy metal
and classical, on the physiological measures of stress. The significance of this study is to devise
methods of alleviating high stress levels caused by academia in college students, with the
potential to be applied to other populations as well. It was hypothesized that following a stressinducing task, low arousal music would lower stress levels below or near baseline, high arousal
music would keep stress levels raised above baseline, and the absence of music would allow for
a slower regression back to baseline as compared to low arousal music. Stress levels were
measured using heart rate, blood pressure, and electrodermal activity, and it was found that
neither classical nor heavy metal music significantly affect stress levels. However, due to the
large number of limitations associated with this study, the results are inconclusive.
Subject
Blood Pressure
Heart Rate
Mean Arterial Pressure
Music
Stress
Text Anxiety
Electrodermal Activity
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/81873Description
An article that appeared in JASS, issue 2017