Active Music Listening Eases Pain in New Study

The Daily Muse     


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It looks like some great new research is coming out in the Journal of Pain.  A study regarding pain management for dental work found that people listening to music felt less pain.  Some studies have already been showing this, but Dr. Bradshaw's research highlighted some important findings about music preference.  


His research protocol encouraged patients to actively focus on the music rather than just passively listen.  This active listening to music that was interesting to the patient was the most effective way to have less pain awareness.  


He also found that people with high anxiety were able to greatly benefit from the music listening.  I think that is an important revelation because these types of individuals can be some of the most difficult patients to treat.  The news article regarding the study can be found here.