The effect of relaxing music on self-reported anxiety and stress

Whelan, Michaela (2021) The effect of relaxing music on self-reported anxiety and stress. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Aims: The present study sought to provide a better understanding of the impact of relaxing music on both stress and anxiety. This study examined the effect of relaxing music on self-reported stress and anxiety. This study explored the impact of gender on perceived stress levels. This study also investigated if relaxing music would impact one gender’s stress levels more than the other.

Method: An online experiment was conducted, where participants (N=25) were divided into two groups (relaxing music and no-music control) and asked to complete a baseline questionnaire, measuring subjective stress and anxiety. They were then exposed to a stressor (mental arithmetic task). Those in the music group listened to ‘Miserere’ by Allegri and those in the control group spent 5 minutes in silence, before filling out their final set of scales.

Results: Findings revealed that relaxing music had a significant effect on anxiety levels. However, there was no significant effect for music on stress scores. Follow up t-tests discovered no significant difference in subjective stress levels between males and females. There was also no significant difference regarding the impact of relaxing music on subjective stress levels between males and females.

Conclusion: Implications for this study and advice for future research are discussed.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology M Music and Books on Music > M Music B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology > Emotions B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology > Stress (Psychology)
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Psychology
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	14 Aug 2021 11:02
Last Modified:	16 Sep 2021 15:51
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/4974

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