Psychobiological mechanisms of the effectiveness of music intervention

Completed Research Project

Title / Titel: Psychobiological mechanisms of the effectiveness of music intervention

Summary / Zusammenfassung: Listening to music may be accompanied by changes in physiological arousal, in the cardiovascular system, the central nervous system, and the endocrine system. Though, mechanisms that lead to changes in these systems by the listening to music are poorly understood. It is assumed that the attenuation of physiological systems through the listening to music, i.e. stress reduction, is one important mechanism in the assumed constitutional effect of the listening to music. It is therefore the aim of the project to examine the underlying mechanisms of the interplay between stress-reducing effects of listening to music and diverse physiological systems in three separate studies.
1) An online survey in a student population in order to exemplarily evaluate the interrelation between music experience and various self-reported somatic symptoms. 2) A laboratory-study to examine the assumed positive impact of music exposition on the experience of stress and its accompanying psychological and physiological changes in N = 60 healthy young women. 3) A study to examine the effect of music exposition on state anxiety and stress perception in a clinical population during a visit to the dental doctor's office (N = 180).

Project Leadership and Contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte

lic. phil. Myriam V. Thoma (Project Leader)	m.thoma@psychologie.uzh.ch
Dr. phil. Urs Nater, PhD (Project Leader)	u.nater@psychologie.uzh.ch
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ehlert, PhD (Project Leader)	u.ehlert@psychologie.uzh.ch

Funding Source(s) / Unterstützt durch: Forschungskredit der Universität Zürich