Music can really ease pain

LONDON: Music sure can uplift your spirits, but a new study has revealed that patients suffering from pain or depression can be prescribed specific kinds of music to help alleviate their symptoms.

 

“The impact of a piece of music on a person goes so much further than thinking that a fast tempo can lift a mood & a slow one can bring it down,” quoted Dr Don Knox, an audio engineer as saying.

“Music expresses emotion as a result of many factors. These include the tone, structure and other technical characteristics of a piece. Lyrics can 've a big impact too,” he added. Knox’s team will not only analyse the lyrics, rhythm & pitch in different compositions but also other factors like where or when you first heard it, whether you associate it with happy or sad events & so on. They hope to develop a mathematical model that explains music''s ability to communicate different emotions, & develop a computer program that could identify the best music to help patients. 

Some songs a doctor might prescribe include ‘Comfortably Numb’ by Pink Floyd, ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong & ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor.

Report: TN