Nowadays, many people deal with anxiety on a daily basis, it can effect anyone and everyone and can be very difficult to gain control over. There are many different approaches to coping with anxiety, people may use music, exercise, talk therapy or medication. There is no right or wrong approach, it all just depends on what works for you.
Music is a very powerful tool for relaxation and many people are now exploring this through music therapy and sound therapy. However, not many people know that some music has been scientifically proven to lower anxiety. Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson, the chairman of MindLab International, conducted a research study to find out which song was the most effective in reducing anxiety. Researchers asked participants to work on puzzles, that were designed to induce stress, while listening to relaxing music. They then measured the participants brain activity, blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. One song in particular lowered participants overall anxiety by an incredible 65%, ‘Weightless’ by Marconi Union.
This may not be so surprising once you learn that Marconi Union, a three piece band from Manchester, created the song in collaboration with sound therapists. ‘Weightless’ was specifically designed to use bass lines, harmonies and rhythms that slow your heart rate and lower the stress hormone cortisol.
Why not try it for yourself? As someone who doesn’t often listen to instrumental music, I wasn’t sure if it would work for me, but this song is beautiful. The song itself is 8 minutes long, but there is a 10 hour version on YouTube if you want to try that out.
Dr. Lewis-Hodgson did however warn that the music can make some people quite drowsy so please do not listen to this song while driving. Save it until you get home!
You can listen to ‘Weightless’ and the other songs used in the research study on the Relaxation Sessions playlist on the website or on our Spotify.
