Music for relaxation: a comparison across two age groups

There are currently many types of music sold commercially that are branded as “relaxation aids.” However, the claims that the music can induce psychological and physical relaxation are rarely validated on an empirical basis. This study investigated the effectiveness of a particular type of “relaxation” music that we call Meditative Binaural Music (MBM), which incorporates binaurally recorded sounds, binaural beats, a slow tempo, and gradual changes. The effect of listening to MBM with and without binaural beats on self-reported emotion state and measured physiological arousal was compared to the effect of listening to classical music previously categorized as “low” or “high” in emotional arousal. Individuals from two age groups were recruited. The effect of listening to MBM was comparable to listening to calm classical music. The changes in self-reported arousal were more pronounced for the younger age group, for whom the MBM including binaural beats was significantly more calming than listening to low-arousal classical music. The older age group showed stronger differences in positivity evaluations, evaluating low-arousal classical music as most comforting, followed by MBM. These results indicate that MBM may effectively contribute to relaxation, but in a way that differs depending on age.