Psychophysiological responsivity to Indian instrumental music

Abstract

The effects of rāga Desi-Todi played on a flute by a renowned Indian musician, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, were examined on three physiological (alpha EEG frequency, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate) and three psychological (depression, state and trait anxiety, and four components of anxiety: somatic, cognitive, behavioral and affective) assessments. The postgraduate male university students served as subjects. The subjects listened to instrumental music (without lyrics) for 30 minutes a day for 20 days. A pre- and post-treatment procedure was adopted for recording physiological and psychological assessments. The results showed that the instrumental music led to a significant increase in the alpha EEG frequency and a significant decrease in the scores on depression, state and trait anxiety, and the four components of anxiety; the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, however, remained unaffected.