Researchers and sound therapists from the British Academy of Sound Therapy recently joined forces with the band Marconi Union to produce “the world’s most relaxing song” based on the latest scientific data.
The song, titled “Weightless”, utilizes a number of psychological tricks to coax listeners into a calm mental state, including a gradually slowing tempo, sounds from nature, and a technique known as “entrainment”, which aligns the brainwaves and heart rate of the listener with the song’s frequencies. This combination serves to trigger relaxation and activate the brain’s reward system to induce a sense of well-being.
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A study showed that listening “Weightless” for just three minutes could reduce stress and anxiety levels by up to 65%, which was more than the nine other songs researchers tested. Listeners also exhibited physical signs of relaxation including a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduced breathing rates. The results suggest that music therapy rivals other forms of stress reduction including medication, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), massage, and meditation, and that listening to calming music can improve sleep and enhance performance of certain cognitive tasks.
Scientists have identified several characteristics of sedative music, but as Kathleen Howland, a professor of music at Berklee College of Music, told Psychiatrist.com, an individual’s personal preferences, experience, culture, and other factors have a significant influence over how they react to specific songs, which explains why a 40-minute Phish jam might induce bliss for some but not others.
“Musical references are finely tuned, inherent to both education and experience,” she said. “So you can’t have just one piece of music that suits everybody.”
Chill out and listen to the world’s most relaxing song below.
“Weightless” – Marconi Union