April is Stress Awareness Month, and it appears that we are more aware of stress than ever. Research conducted on behalf of the American Psychological Association by Harris Poll, found that Americans are feeling the effects of prolonged stress. The result is increased anxiety, sadness, anger — and other negative emotions.
While there are many ways to deal with the effects of stress, one of the easiest — and most enjoyable — is to listen to music. While we all have our favorite go-to songs to suit our changing moods, now researchers in the U.K. have found the songs that are scientifically proven to help us destress.
Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson, chairman of the research company Mindlab International, led a team of researchers to study how certain songs affected the brains of volunteers. The volunteers were given puzzles to complete and, as they worked to solve them, sensors monitored their heart rates, blood pressure, breathing rates and more.
Through this research, they discovered the 10 best songs for relaxation. When volunteers listened to these songs, their stress levels dropped by as much as 65%. That’s good for your body and your mind!
If you’re ready to destress, we’ve put their 10 songs into a playlist that you can find here. Now, relax and enjoy!
