Does Music Really Help You Relax?

Feelings of fear and threat—whether we’re facing real danger (such as war), or a threat mainly to our sense of self-worth (“I’m sure I’ll fail the exam”) – can trigger the “fight or flight” response. This response involves the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, along with increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and overall arousal. These changes are driven by the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares the body for situations that demand a quick reaction. This response evolved to help us survive physical threats by sharpening alertness and enabling rapid action. But when stressful conditions persist, the body can stay on high alert for too long, taking a toll on both physical health and mental well-being. To truly relax, we need to restore balance by activating the opposing system: the parasympathetic nervous system, which supports rest, recovery and relaxation, and regulates processes such as growth and digestion.

Music is used in rituals across many cultures, bringing people together and shaping their mood. Using music as a therapeutic tool is not new: as far back as ancient Greece, scholars discussed the connection between music, the body, and the mind. But is there a scientific basis for these ideas? In scientific research, we aim to rely on data that can be evaluated quantitatively with appropriate instruments, rather than only on people’s descriptions of how they feel. And music has indeed been studied scientifically. More than a hundred years ago, researchers were already examining its effects on physiological functions. A study from 1918 found, for example, that listening to music can affect blood pressure. Although that research used methods that are outdated by today’s standards, its conclusions are consistent with many later studies examining how music influences bodily functions in people recovering from surgery or coping with illness. More recent research suggests that music affects not only the body, but also the brain and emotions—and that it can promote synchronization and coordination between people, whether through movement, playing instruments, singing, or physiological measures such as brain activity and heart rate.

Music Affects Physiological Markers

A meta-analysis combined results from dozens of studies examining the link between music therapy—where a therapist plays music that changes in response to the patient’s condition—and stress. The findings showed that music therapy can reduce both perceived stress and measurable physiological markers. Participants rated their stress levels before and after listening to music and completed anxiety questionnaires.Because self-reports can be influenced by bias, lack of honesty, subjective differences, or a desire to please the experimenter, researchers also measured physiological indicators. Overall, music therapy was associated with lower self-reported stress and reductions in measures such as heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance—signals of physiological arousal. The effect was stronger in group sessions than in one-on-one therapy, possibly because participants synchronize with each other during shared musical experiences—similar to how people naturally fall into a common rhythm during group dancing.

But do you need formal therapy? Simply listening to music may also help reduce stress. Another meta-analysis, which reviewed more than a hundred studies, found that music listening can affect heart rate, blood pressure, and hormone levels, as well as participants’ subjective feelings—and even aspects of immune system activity. Some studies report that listening to music increases levels of white blood cells across different parts of the immune system and influences cytokines—proteins that regulate inflammation—such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). Music listening has also been linked to lower levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, hormones and neurotransmitters produced mainly by the adrenal glands that play a central role in the “fight or flight” response.

If music can reduce stress and tension, how do we choose what to listen to? Is any particular kind of music more calming than others?

One challenge in drawing broad conclusions is that studies use many different musical selections. For example, when researchers compared the effect of rock music versus classical music on skin conductance – an arousal-related measure often associated with autonomic activity – it appeared that faster tempos increased arousal and skin conductance overall. However, tempo alone didn’t determine the effect; it interacted with the type of music. While listening to classical music, a faster tempo increased skin conductance, whereas during rock music, a faster tempo actually reduced it—suggesting lower arousal. The difference may reflect other features of the musical excerpts, beyond tempo. It’s also worth noting that the study used a relatively small sample (only 25 students), so further research is needed to confirm the findings.

Listening to classical music has long been associated with many positive effects,  including the well-known “Mozart effect.” However, it’s important to remember that classical music isn’t a single, uniform category: it varies widely across composers and pieces, and some selections may actually increase arousal rather than promote relaxation.

The Most Relaxing Song Ever

The track Weightless by Marconi Union was created by musicians and music therapists specifically to promote relaxation, drawing on scientific knowledge. Its aim is to activate the calming parasympathetic nervous system by gradually slowing the tempo. In a study by Mindlab International – a consumer behavior research company – 20 women worked on challenging puzzles while listening to different musical excerpts. During the task, their blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate were monitored. Weightless was found to produce the strongest overall effect. Why?

The track starts at 60 beats per minute—close to a typical resting heart rate—and then intentionally slows, step by step, to 45 beats per minute, in an effort to gently “nudge” the listener’s heart rate downward as well. The arrangement combines guitar, piano, and percussion with nature-like sounds such as water and birdsong, which are intended to engage the brain’s reward system. It was also composed to avoid sudden surprises that could increase arousal, while still including enough variation to keep it from becoming dull. You can try it yourself here:

In another study involving 57 students—none of whom were involved in creating the music—researchers compared four different four-minute audio clips: a 6 Hz track, corresponding to slow brain waves (theta waves, linked to relaxation, sleep, and meditation); a higher-frequency 16 Hz track, corresponding to beta waves; a recording of airplane takeoff and landing sounds; and an excerpt from Weightless.  Participants’ heart rate, breathing rate, and skin conductance were measured both while they listened and while they sat in silence in a quiet room. Compared with silence, both Weightless and the low-frequency track reduced skin conductance. Weightless led to a 36% drop in skin conductance—an even larger decrease than what was reported in the original study released alongside the track. However, Weightless was not more effective than the other clips at lowering heart rate, and it was actually less effective at reducing breathing rate. Since the participants were all students—young people with relatively similar characteristics—stronger conclusions would require studies that include a wider and more representative range of ages and backgrounds. The researchers concluded that the track does have a calming effect and may be a useful tool for reducing stress, though the label “the most relaxing song ever” likely deserves closer examination.

Interestingly, Weightless may not relax only humans. In a study examining the track’s effects on broiler chickens in the meat industry, chickens that were exposed to the music gained more weight, consumed more food, and had lower cortisol levels than chickens in a control group that did not hear it. The findings suggest that music can benefit the physiology and welfare of captive birds, but because the study did not test a range of musical styles, it’s not possible to determine whether Weightless has a unique calming effect compared with other pieces.

Does relaxing music have to include all the features found in Weightless? Not necessarily. The track might not relax you at all—responses to music vary widely and can depend on personal memories, preferences, culture, and many other factors.It’s also worth noting that most of the studies discussed were conducted in Western countries and focused on Western music, while other cultures create and listen to different musical traditions with distinct instruments and structures. Music that relaxes one person may not work for another—but it’s always worth experimenting. If you’re feeling stressed for any reason, try putting on headphones, taking a deep breath, and letting the music soothe both body and mind.