Play it, Sam! Psychological and physiological discomfort after music abstinence

Abstract

Recent findings suggest that music listening plays an important role in affect and arousal modulation. Individuals use music to enhance their well-being and counteract negative affect in numerous everyday situations. We investigated whether listening to preferred, non-preferred, or no music altered affect, arousal, psychological and physical health, and stress. Thirty police officers participated in the study. After a baseline assessment, participants were divided into three experimental groups: Group 1 listened to their preferred music; Group 2 listened to their non-preferred music; and Group 3 did not listen to any music. The manipulation was maintained over a period of 7 days. At the end of each day, participants filled out questionnaires concerning their current affect, arousal, psychological and physical health, and stress. Results indicate that the no music group showed significant decreases in affect and psychological and physical health, and significant increases in stress levels compared with the other groups. In contrast, no statistical differences were observed between the non-preferred music group and the preferred music group. We conclude that not listening to any music might be followed by discomfort. We recommend music listening in everyday life for supporting health.