A Single Song Scientifically Designed to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
When I hear the song 'Weightless', my body immediately starts to relax. No wonder. It was designed to do just that, using the power of music and neuroscience.
The last few weeks have been packed with creative work. Writing copy, conducting interviews, brainstorming product ideas in agile innovation workshops. And I feel like this kind of work is firing up a lot of neurons in my brain.
You have to think outside the box, put yourself in other people's shoes and imagine how they think and act. It's a beautiful process, but it also gives me really weird and stressful dreams, riding trains kind of dreams.
To prevent these nightly ventures, I usually do a few breathing sessions before going to sleep. I have already written about how Wim Hof's breathing helps me to relax completely. If you haven't read it yet, et voilá:
When I finish a breathing session, I usually like to just lie there and listen to some relaxing music. But it's not so easy to find a song that matches your level of relaxation and takes you even deeper.
I tried a few, but then I found the perfect song, not knowing at the time that it was scientifically designed to relax your body and, interestingly, even help you get rid of anxiety.
“Weightless” supposed to reduce anxiety by 65 percent
A collaboration between neuroscientists and music group Marconi Union created the song 'Weightless' and say that listening to it reduces anxiety by 65% - an impressive figure, and proven in a study of 40 participants.
I'm always a bit cautious with these kinds of percentages. After all, music is a matter of taste. But in this case, I found it very fascinating how they designed the song that always puts me straight into relaxation mode.
Heartbeat Rhythm: “Weightless” is crafted using scientific principles to induce relaxation, starting at an adult’s average resting heart rate of 60 bpm and slowing down to 50 bpm to help listeners reach a state of calm
Entrainment technique: The song uses "entrainment", which means it aligns the listener's brainwaves with its frequencies, encouraging heart rate synchronisation with the music for deeper relaxation.
Soothing Composition: With a blend of low frequencies, slow tempo, and gentle sounds from pianos, guitars, and chimes, alongside chants, it creates a calming melody that grounds and relaxes.
Dopamine Release: The careful composition activates the brain's reward system, releasing dopamine and inducing a sense of well-being.
Natural Sounds: Incorporates samples of trickling water and bird calls to trigger a biophilic response, enhancing the feeling of connection with nature.
Isn't that fascinating? So, guys, next time you're stressed out or feel anxiety creeping up on you, put on the headphones and press play.
Let me know if the song has a similar effect or no effect at all? I mean, some people can only relax when they listen to Motörhead, so I have heard ;)
Cheers,
Katie