Scientists at the Medical Center of the University of Maryland have shown that e scuchar music can benefit the cardiovascular system as much as exercise or taking certain medications.
To reach this conclusion, the director of preventive cardiology Michael Miller asked a dozen non-smoking students to listen to their favorite music. He then made them listen to three other types of sound to compare their effects on the vascular system: stressful music, relaxation sounds, and melodies used in laughter therapy.
Analyzing the response with ultrasound , Miller and his colleagues found that the diameter of the blood vessels , measured in the upper part of the arm, increased by 26% with the favorite music of each subject . In contrast, music rated as stressful caused vessels to contract by 6%. With the songs that invited laughter, the blood vessels dilated by 19%, while the relaxing music produced an expansion of 11%.
The results, says Miller, "do not imply that we should stop prescribing statins or recommend physical exercise, but they do mean that we should incorporate music into cardiovascular health programs."
