Understanding the Impact of Music on Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Stress Levels of Working Adults

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
© 2023 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal
Volume 10 Issue 4
Year of Publication : 2023
Authors : Saksham Aggarwal
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How to Cite?

Saksham Aggarwal, "Understanding the Impact of Music on Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Stress Levels of Working Adults," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 10,  no. 4, pp. 48-55, 2023. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V10I4P108

Abstract:

Roughly 7.11 billion people worldwide listen to music. Music is known to have numerous effects on human physiology, and many studies have been conducted to deduce its effects on pain, anxiety, blood pressure, dopamine, sleep, alertness, memory, and stress. The present study aims to assess various elements of music, specifically its tempo - beats per minute (BPM) - and its effect on physiological indicators like heart rate variability (HRV) and pulse, and in turn, its impact on the stress levels of an individual working in a corporate environment. An experiment was conducted on 20 young adults working in offices to understand the impact of music on their heart rate and stress levels. It was found that certain slower tempi of classical music induced lower distress levels and induced higher eustress levels, causing an increase in focus and reducing the negative feelings associated with traditional stress. It further promotes an overall positive outlook towards the tasks at hand due to increased salivary oxytocin; the heart rate decreased when participants heard the fast-tempo music since it caused a decrease in their cortisol levels and reduced distress. This study has a plethora of implications for being beneficial in fields like education, therapy, corporate work environments, high-stress conditions and general daily usage.

Keywords:

Music, Heart Rate, Stress, Focus, BPM, Tempo.

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