Cheerful Music Eases Motion Sickness, Study Finds

Quick Smiles:

• Listening to happy or gentle tunes can lessen motion sickness symptoms.
• Joyful music reduced carsickness by an impressive 57% in the study.
• Scientists hope this non-invasive solution will help travelers everywhere.

Listening to joyful or soft music may help people recover from motion sickness, according to new research from Chinese scientists.

Volunteers who became carsick in a driving simulator recovered better when played cheerful or gentle tunes, as opposed to sad music or no music at all.

“Motion sickness significantly impairs the travel experience for many individuals, and existing pharmacological interventions often carry side-effects such as drowsiness,” said Dr. Qizong Yue, one of the study’s authors.

The researchers observed that anticipation of carsickness can bring on symptoms more quickly, but music was found to ease tension and support recovery.

The study involved 40 participants and used EEG caps to monitor brain activity, revealing that as people listened to uplifting music, their discomfort decreased and their brain patterns returned to normal more quickly.

Joyful music led to a 57.3% reduction in carsickness, narrowly ahead of soft music at 56.7%, while passionate music also helped but to a lesser extent. Sad music, on the other hand, offered the least relief and could intensify discomfort.

The team believes soft music helps by relaxation, while joyful tunes likely engage the brain’s reward system, lowering feelings of sickness.

“Based on our conclusions, individuals experiencing motion sickness symptoms during travel can listen to cheerful or gentle music to achieve relief,” Dr. Yue suggested.

The scientists hope to explore these results further and discover if different types of music may benefit those who experience motion sickness when traveling by sea or air.

Looking for a simple, drug-free way to keep motion sickness at bay? Try playing some upbeat or relaxing music on your next trip and share this tip with friends and family!

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