Music influences people’s heart rates, and one piece of music will affect individuals’ hearts differently, a new, small study shows.
The findings could lead to novel, drug-free treatments for such conditions as high blood pressure and heart rhythm disorders, or to help people relax or stay alert, the researchers said.
Previous studies that examined physical responses to music measured changes in heart rate after participants listened to recordings simply categorized as sad, happy, calm or violent.
This new study of three patients with mild heart failure requiring a pacemaker took a more targeted approach.
During a live, classical piano concert, researchers used the patients’ pacemaker leads to measure the electrical activity of their hearts during significant changes in tempo, volume or rhythm.
