Introduction to Motion Sickness and Music
Music might soothe your soul — but could it also stop you from hurling on the highway? A new study suggests that the right tunes might help fight off motion sickness, while others could leave you queasy, sweaty and reaching for a barf bag. That’s no small thing: about 1 in 3 Americans are highly susceptible to carsickness, but nearly everyone will experience it at some point in their lifetime.
Your favorite playlist might do more than just help pass the time on a road trip. F8 Suport Ukraine – stock.adobe.com
The Study on Music and Motion Sickness
“Motion sickness significantly impairs the travel experience for many individuals, and existing pharmacological interventions often carry side-effects such as drowsiness,” Dr. Qizong Yue of China’s Southwest University, who co-authored the study, said in a statement. “Music represents a non-invasive, low-cost, and personalized intervention strategy,” he added. But before you blast your favorite playlist, be warned: the sadder the song, the sicker you might get.
Methodology of the Study
In the study, Yue and his team recruited 30 carsick-prone volunteers and strapped them into a nausea-inducing driving simulator. Each of the participants wore a cap wired with 64 electrodes to monitor their brain activity during the experiment. When the queasiness kicked in, they were split into four groups, each listening to a different style of music for 60 seconds. A control group was played no music, letting their symptoms fade naturally.
Application Beyond Cars
While the study zeroed in on cars, music might also ease motion sickness on planes and boats. Parkin – stock.adobe.com
Findings of the Study
The scientists found that upbeat music was the top cure — easing motion sickness by a whopping 57.3%. Soft tunes weren’t far behind, cutting symptoms by 56.7%, while passionate music helped by 48.3%. But sad songs fell flat. That group saw just a 40% drop — which was 3.3% worse than the group that didn’t listen to anything at all after feeling sick.
Brainwave Data and Music
“Based on our conclusions, individuals experiencing motion sickness symptoms during travel can listen to cheerful or gentle music to achieve relief,” Yue said. Brainwave data backed it up. The electrode caps revealed a drop in complex activity in the occipital lobe — the part of the brain that processes visuals and plays a key role in motion sickness — whenever participants felt queasy. When participants felt sick, electrical activity in their occipital lobe became less active and complex. peterschreiber.media – stock.adobe.com
Theoretical Framework
Researchers theorized that soft music soothes nausea and dizziness by easing tension and calming the brain. Joyful tunes, meanwhile, activate the brain’s reward system, helping distract from discomfort. Sad songs, on the other hand, might have the opposite effect — stirring up negative feelings and making recovery harder than if you hadn’t listened to anything at all, they suggested.
Potential for Broader Application
“The primary theoretical frameworks for motion sickness genesis apply broadly to sickness induced by various vehicles,” Ye said. “Therefore, the findings of this study likely extend to motion sickness experienced during air or sea travel.” But he stressed more research is needed to confirm if music can really ease your discomfort on the road.
Limitations and Future Studies
But he stressed more research is needed to confirm if music can really ease your discomfort on the road. “The primary limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size,” Ye said, noting that all participants were also between 20 and 30 years old. Plus, the study used a driving simulator, not real roads, which could affect how motion sickness and brain activity actually play out.
Future Research Directions
In future studies, Ye and his team plan to test more people and take the experiments out on real roads to see if the simulator results hold up. They also want to find out if personal music taste affects which tunes work best to curb carsickness.
Other Approaches to Fighting Motion Sickness
This isn’t the first time researchers have zeroed in on the ears as a way to fight motion sickness. Earlier this year, Japanese researchers unveiled “sound spice,” a new treatment that uses a unique sound wave to stimulate the inner ear, easing nausea and dizziness. “The effective sound level falls within the range of everyday environmental noise exposure, suggesting that the sound technology is both effective and safe,” said lead researcher Takumi Kagawa.
Conclusion
The study provides promising insights into the potential of music as a non-invasive and low-cost intervention for motion sickness. While more research is needed, the findings suggest that listening to cheerful or gentle music could offer relief to individuals experiencing motion sickness symptoms during travel.
FAQs
- Q: Can music really help with motion sickness?
- A: According to the study, yes, certain types of music can help alleviate motion sickness symptoms.
- Q: What types of music are most effective?
- A: Upbeat and soft music were found to be the most effective in reducing motion sickness symptoms.
- Q: Can this apply to other forms of travel besides cars?
- A: The researchers believe the findings could extend to motion sickness experienced during air or sea travel, but more research is needed to confirm this.
- Q: Are there any limitations to the study?
- A: Yes, the study had a relatively small sample size and used a driving simulator, which might not fully replicate real-world conditions.
- Q: What are the future directions for this research?
- A: Future studies aim to test more people, conduct experiments on real roads, and explore how personal music taste affects the efficacy of music in reducing motion sickness.
