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This is Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.

There's a whole genre¹ of music called "relaxation² music." (CLIP: Solstice Dawn) It's also called "Meditative³ Binaural Music," because it includes sounds recorded in stereo, and sometimes sine tones with a beating pattern, called "binaural beats." But is all that any more relaxing than some gentle Chopin? (CLIP: Chopin Nocturne No 2 in E flat)

Researchers attempted to answer that question by sitting 30 people, aged⁴ 18 to 80, in a comfy chair, one at a time, with noise-cancelling headphones on. On a desk in front of them was a slider, on which they could indicate their changing levels of alertness versus⁵ relaxation, as the researchers played new-agey calming music (CLIP: Loxley Sansula); the subdued⁶ Chopin... (CLIP: Chopin Nocturne No 2 in E flat) or a more lively piece by Mozart. (CLIP: Mozart Divertimento in B-flat major)

Based on the slider info, the participants were all jolted⁷ into alertness by Mozart's strings⁸, regardless of age. And the "relaxation music" was indeed a relative chill pill. But not any more of one than the Chopin. And in a post-listening survey, only listeners in their teens and 20s described feeling slightly more sedate⁹ when listening to harps¹⁰ and birds chirping¹¹ in stereo. All of which suggests that relaxation music, while effective, doesn't have any unique soothing¹² powers compared with peaceful classical music. And that's true even when the relaxation music has 'binaural beats.' The study is in the Journal of Music Therapy.

Still, the scientists say the new relaxation music has its advantages. It's got fewer cultural connotations than classical music—which could be preferable in, say, a hospital waiting room. And if you're trying to relax before bed, the new stuff is probably not as likely to get stuck in your head. (CLIP: Chopin Nocturne No 2 in E flat)

Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.