NEW ORLEANS, Nov 12, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- University of Maryland School of
Medicine researchers say the cardiovascular benefits of music are similar to
those found in their previous study of laughter.
Principal investigator Dr. Michael Miller said the music selected by study
participants because it made them feel good caused tissue in the inner lining of
blood vessels to dilate, or expand, in order to increase blood flow. This
healthy response matches what the same researchers found in a 2005 study of
laughter.
However, when study volunteers listened to music they perceived as stressful,
their blood vessels narrowed, producing a potentially unhealthy response that
reduces blood flow.
Ten healthy, non-smoking volunteers -- 70 percent male, average age 36 years --
participated in all phases of the randomized study. The researchers used a blood
vessel dilation test, which measures how well the blood vessel in the upper arm
responds to the sudden increase in flow, with the result expressed as a
percentage change in vessel diameter.
The study found that compared to the baseline, the average upper arm blood
vessel diameter increased 26 percent after the joyful music phase, while
listening to music that caused anxiety narrowed blood vessels by 6 percent.
The finding was presented at the American Heart Association scientific sessions
in New Orleans.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2008 by United Press International