June 22, 2022
The pandemic had a huge impact on the nation’s mental wellbeing, with multiple lockdowns forcing us all into extended periods of isolation. Research by The Office for National Statistics shows mental health issues reported by UK adults doubled from 10% pre-lockdown to 21% at the peak of the pandemic’s first wave from January to March 2021. Young adults aged 16-24 year reported the highest instances of mental health issues (29%) during July and August last year.*
With so many of us experiencing mental health issues, it’s never been so important to look after our mental health. When it comes do reducing stress, listening to music you enjoy has been scientifically proven to help reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increase levels of the feel-good chemical dopamine by 9%. Researchers from McGill University, Montreal scanned the brains of eight people to make the discovery in 2011.**
This research project inspired a further study in 2021 by brain scanning experts Myndplay, commissioned by free TV music app ROXi, to look at the impact on our mental health of watching music videos and singing karaoke compared to listening to music audio.
The study, which scanned the brains, heart rate and happiness levels of 16 people using Myndplay’s proprietary technology, demonstrated participants who watched and listened to a music video reported a 28% increase in subjective happiness compared to listening to the audio-only version of the same song. Myndplay’s real-time pleasure response brainwave data revealed subjects also experienced an average of 21% more pleasure from watching the music video compared to listening to the audio track only.
Myndplay’s neurology expert Dr Tony Steffert explained that a music video takes you “more into the moment than purely listening to music audio”.
The study also found that singing your favourite karaoke songs relieves stress by lowering cortisol levels after belting out your favourite song. Participants fitted with Myndplay’s electroencephalogram (EEG) device experienced 43% more pleasure when singing along to music versus just listening to music.
ROXi CEO Rob Lewis said “We know that listening to music is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to improving our mood. With this study we’ve shown watching music videos and singing karaoke can go further still in increasing our wellbeing and helping to improve our mental health.
“ROXi is committed to bringing free unlimited access to music videos, karaoke and games on to the biggest screen in the home, helping bring joy to millions of households across the UK and beyond.”
* ONS: Coronavirus and depression in adults, Great Britain: July to August 2021 Mental health statistics (England). Commons Library Research Briefing, 13 December 2021.
** McGill University: Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music, January 2001
*** Myndplay Biometric study, 2021