title: Music and psychophysiological recovery from stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This experimental study examined whether listening to self-chosen music after stress exposure improves mood, decreases subjective arousal and rumination, and facilitates cardiovascular recovery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 123) were exposed to a mental arithmetic task with harassment to induce stress. Afterward, participants were randomly assigned to one of four "recovery" conditions where they (1) listened to self-chosen relaxing music, (2) listened to self-chosen happy music, (3) listened to an audio book, or (4) sat in silence. After this 5-minute "recovery manipulation period," participants sat in silence for another 5 minutes. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate were continuously measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recovery conditions caused differences in positive affect (F(3,119) = 13.13, p < .001) and negative affect (F(3,119) = 2.69, p = .049). As expected, mood improved while listening to either relaxing music or happy music. The conditions showed no differences in subjective arousal (F(3,117) = 2.03, p = .11) and rumination (F(3,119) = 1.10, p = .35). Systolic blood pressure recovery, however, differed between the conditions (linear time trend: F(3,116) = 4.50, p = .005; quadratic time trend: F(3,115) = 5.24, p = .002). Listening to both relaxing and happy music delayed systolic blood pressure recovery when compared with both control conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Listening to self-selected music is an effective mood enhancer, but it delays blood pressure recovery.
authors.affiliation: From the Behavioural Science Institute (M.R., S.A.E.G., M.A.J.K.), Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; and Institute of Psychology (J.F.B.), Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radstaak
authors.forename: Sabine A E
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Geurts
authors.forename: Jos F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Brosschot
authors.forename: Michiel A J
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kompier
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music / Q000523:psychology; D009147:Music Therapy / Q000379:methods; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult