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Study Finds That '80s Pop Music Is Great For Reducing Stress

Want to de-stress? Listen to music from the 1980s.

Study Finds That '80s Pop Music Is Great For Reducing Stress

Music from the 1980s can help beat stress, according to new research.

A study from the Turkish-based cosmetic surgery centre Vera Clinic asked 1,540 adult (ages 18-65) volunteers to listen to a number of Spotify playlists composed of several popular genres of music — including tracks from the 1960s 'Golden Oldies', 1970s rock anthems and 1990s R&B — to see how it affected their blood pressure.

The experiment also included less mainstream genres, such as dubstep, jazz and modern classical.

The findings revealed that those who listened to artists such as Wham! and The Pet Shop Boys became calmer with 96 per cent reporting a decrease in blood pressure and 36 per cent saying they felt their heart rate drop.

Researchers relied on Spotify playlists, including one tied to the UK’s Channel 4 drama, It’s A Sin, which includes hits from the '80s, including Joy Division’s 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', Blondie’s 'Call Me', Wham!’s 'Freedom', Bette Midler’s 'Wind Beneath My Wings' and Pet Shop Boys’ 'It’s a Sin'.

What's the most stress-inducing music genre? When listening to techno, 78 per cent of the volunteers experienced an increase in blood pressure. Strangely, those exposed to heavy metal saw an 18 per cent and 89 per cent drop in heart rate and blood pressure, respectively.

The Vera Clinic's Dr. Omer Alvanmis believes the feelings of "positive nostalgia" associated with '80s records help to ease stress.

He said: "The results may seem surprising on first inspection — but medically they make a lot of sense. [These] 1980s pop hits could have positive nostalgia attached to them for many people, and their upbeat, party-like sounds can induce the release of endorphins and serotonin in the brain, both increasing feelings of happiness and calm." — BANG

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos


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