Music paired with beats may cut stress hormone more than twice as much as pink noise

A new randomized clinical trial from Toronto Metropolitan University found that listening to 24 minutes of personalized music combined with auditory beat stimulation lowered stress hormone cortisol levels more than twice as much as pink noise. However, participants reported feeling equally calm after both interventions. The study, titled "Differing subjective and psychophysiological response patterns to a music-based auditory intervention for anxiety," highlights that subjective and physiological measures can reveal different aspects of the response to an auditory intervention.

The research, conducted by psychology professor Frank A. Russo and his team, involved 83 undergraduate students with recent symptoms of generalized anxiety. Both the personalized music and ABS groups experienced reduced self-reported anxiety and improved mood, but biological responses differed. The findings suggest that measuring biological responses alongside self-reported experiences is crucial when evaluating sound-based stress management approaches.

The study's biological results are preliminary due to sensitivity to statistical outliers, and further research is needed to determine the individual contributions of personalized music and beat stimulation.