Music reduces pain intensity, says new study

Participants in a study by Montreal researchers reported significant pain relief when allowed to listen to their favourite music.

Pain relief was more significant when subjects listened to their favourite music (ranging from Mozart to Motörhead) than when listening to relaxing music that they were unfamiliar with.

"We simply asked the study participants to come with excerpts of their favourite music," explained the study's author, Mathieu Roy, with McGill University's psychology department. "We found that the favourite music was more effective (in reducing pain) than relaxing music. That's not surprising in itself, but it was the first time we'd been able to demonstrate it."

The pain inflicted on the participants in the study was comparable to that of a hot cup of coffee held in the hands for a few seconds before being put down.

Beyond the musical genre preferred by the participants, researchers found that not all emotions aroused by music are equal in countering pain.

They found that music that evoked feelings of "bittersweet" nostalgia seemed more effective in reducing pain intensity than music deemed energizing, relaxing or joyful by the participants.

"We asked participants to tell us if they felt chills when they listened to their music," says Roy. "There are some people who feel a kind of chill running down their back. The more chills associated with this type of music, the greater the analgesia."

Science doesn't understand what "musical chills" are, but other studies at McGill University have shown that music seems to activate the brain's reward circuits.

In other words, musical chills are a neurophysiological process that effectively blocks pain signals.

Roy and his colleagues are now conducting a new study to better understand why and how music blocks pain.

They plan to use medical imaging to examine the brain regions responsible for pain perception.

"Pain is arguably the opposite of pleasure," explained Roy. "So perhaps by inducing a very intense sensation of pleasure, such as when we listen to our favourite music, we can counterbalance and reduce pain."

The findings of this study can help anyone looking for a non-pharmacological solution to pain relief, he added, such as after a visit to the dentist or the day after surgery.

The research was part of doctoral student Darius Valevicius' studies.

His findings have been published in the Frontiers in Pain Research medical journal.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 25, 2023.