Is it me or the music? Stress reduction and the role of regulation strategies and music

Abstract

Music is a common resource for the regulation of emotions, moods, and stress. This study aimed at determining the individual and relative impact on stress reduction of two of the main factors involved in musical affect regulation: regulation strategies and music itself. The current study took place in an experimental setting and followed a factorial withinsubjects design. First, the participants (n ¼ 34) filled in an online survey where they identified their self-perceived "adequate"/"inadequate" music examples for the purpose of reducing stress and self-perceived "adequate"/ "inadequate" strategies for the same purpose. In the lab they went through a stress induction procedure and then were instructed to calm down. They did so by listening to their "adequate"/"inadequate" music and employing the "adequate"/ "inadequate" strategy, depending on the experimental condition. The primary outcome measure was self-reported tension, complemented by self-reported energy and valence, skin conductance levels (SCL), startle blink amplitudes, and risk aversion. The results showed that both music and strategy had a strong significant effect on the self-reported tension. Additionally, music had strong significant effects on energy, valence, SCL, and risk aversion. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the condition "adequate strategy-adequate music" was consistently more beneficial for stress reduction than condition "inadequate strategy-inadequate music". However, it did not outperform all the other conditions, nor did the "inadequate strategy-inadequate music" underperform all the others. Moreover, close inspection of the results showed a larger impact of music on the short-term outcomes of self-regulation in comparison to strategy. These findings suggest that successful affective regulation depends on the adequacy of the chosen strategies and music, but that music is more determinant for the affective outcomes in the short term. The results are discussed considering previous research and the implications for the understanding of musical affect regulation are explored.

Engagement in Music-Related Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Mirror of Individual Differences in Musical Reward and Coping Strategies

“…In this study, we aimed at investigating whether Covid-19 confinement modulated people's musical habits and whether this change was associated with individuals' musical and psychological traits and attempts to cope with specific worries and challenges related to the pandemic. The appropriate selection of musical materials, along with an appropriate strategy for affect regulation, has been shown to be important in the efficiency of the regulation of psychological distress (e.g., stress; Baltazar et al, 2019 ). Overall, our results showed (i) that during the confinement (May–June 2020), people were more engaged in musical activities involving music listening than before, regardless of individual differences (except for attending virtual concerts); (ii) that this change in behavior depended on individual differences in participants' sensitivity to musical reward, musical training, and emotional regulation strategies; and (iii) that individuals' engagement in different music-related activities was also associated with the purpose for which they engaged in music as a means for coping with the psychological distress induced by the pandemic: as a way to feel good, regulate their negative feelings, or feel connected to others.…”

Coping strategies adapted by Ghanaians during the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown: A population-based study

“…This suggests that COVID-19-related stress might be high in our study population. Many stress coping strategies such as reading, talking to relatives/friends; physical exercise; following a healthy/balanced diet; drinking water to hydrate; following the news; other social media engagements; pursuing hobbies, listening to music, yoga, or gardening; relaxing or doing home chores have been reported to be helpful during crises [16][17][18][19][20]. However, it is argued that the effectiveness of these strategies may be context-specific [14,21].…”

Listening to music to cope with everyday stressors

“…Indeed, young people generally experience reduced stress and improved mood as a result of their unconscious selection of music (McFerran & Saarikallio, 2014;Saarikallio et al, 2015). However, it is important to note that listening to certain types of music can also be associated with negative outcomes (Saarikallio et al, 2015;Garrido, et al, 2020), and that individuals' use of music, as well as the type of music listened to, should be considered (Baltazar et al, 2019). To these findings can be added those of the present study, particularly in relation to people who use music for self-regulation: that in addition to considering type of coping strategy it is also important to consider type of stressor.…”