title: Music can effectively reduce pain perception in women rather than men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nowadays music is used to decrease pain and increase relaxation in clinical settings. It is hypothesized that music can affect women more easily than men. We assessed the effect of two types of music (Iranian folkloric and preferred music) on pain tolerance and pain rating in cold pressor test.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consecutive sample of 50 healthy Iranian medical students was enrolled. They reported pain tolerance and pain rating in cold pressor test in three different musical conditions served as the outcome measures. The results were analyzed with repeated measurement analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean tolerance time was significantly higher in preferred music compared to Iranian folkloric music (F (1,48) =25.44, p=0.0001) and no music (F(1,48)=3.51, p=0.0001) conditions. There was a significant interaction when tolerance time in no music condition was compared to preferred music condition, regarding sex; Tolerance time increased more in females (F(1,48)=5.53, p=0.023). The results also indicated that pain ratings, regardless of sex, were different in three musical conditions (F(1.7,81.34)=15.37, p=0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Music distracted attention from pain and Women can be impressed and distracted more easily by music.
authors.affiliation: Sina Ghaffaripour, MD, Shiraz Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Research Center, Anesthesiology Department.
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghaffaripour
authors.affiliation: Hilda Mahmoudi, MD, MPH, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi
authors.affiliation: Mohammad Ali Sahmeddini, MD, Shiraz Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Research Center, Anesthesiology Department.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sahmeddini
authors.affiliation: Abbas Alipour, MD, Nutrition and Health School, Epidemiology Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alipour
authors.affiliation: Abdolhamid Chohedri, MD, Shiraz Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Research Center, Anesthesiology Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdolhamid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chohedri
keywords: Cold pressor test; Music; Pain rating; Pain tolerance