Music therapy helps stressed out Britain
9 October 2006
Forget Paracetamol and Asprin. When it comes to dealing with stress, nearly eight in 10 Britons (77%) turn to music as an antidote to the stresses and strains of everyday life - according to recent research from Legal & General.
Legal & General’s Health Uncovered Index - a study of a GB representative sample of over 5000 people which tracks the key health concerns of Brits, reveals that lack of sleep, (42%), general fatigue (34%) and everyday stress (27%) now all rank among the nation’s top five health concerns. In addition, there has been a 25% rise in the number of people that are worried about the impact of their daily routine on their health,
The Legal & General research also revealed that the number of people that find listening to music to be a helpful way to fight stress and unwind rises to 88% among 18-29 year olds.
So what’s top of the chill out charts?
While men and women equally use music to deal with stress (77% and 76% respectively), they had very different ideas on which type of music is most helpful. Women are more likely to find current pop ideal for switching off (21%), whereas men are more likely to turn to classical music (20%) for a more soothing experience.
Women were also nearly twice as likely as men to favour soul music (13% compared to 7% among men).
Classic rock could possibly be rebranded as 'oldie rock' as the over 30s were the most likely to chill out to classic rock tracks.
A surprising, one in 25 people (4%) said that heavy metal music helped them to relax, ranking low on the ‘chill out’ list along with jazz (3%), opera (1%) and hip hop (1%).
Music stress busters around the regions
The nation proved very divided when it came to choosing the music genre that would most calm people down:
Shamnation: People north of the border in James MacMillan’s Scotland were most likely to choose classical music to relax to (20%).
Bright idea: People in the South East were those most likely to use chart pop to switch off from the stresses of a demanding commute.
I want to break free: After chart pop classic rock was the next top stress tonic in Wales and the Midlands.
A design of life: Alternative music was the next top stress busting music choice for people in London.
Rocking round the clock
The Legal & General research also revealed that people chilled out to music throughout the day. In addition to an end of day musical chill out (62%), a significant number of people listened to music on the way to work (27%), during a lunch hour (11%) and over breakfast (11%). Among young people (aged 18-29), there was in increased tendency to listen to music at work (14%).
Chris Rolland, Managing Director at Legal & General’s Healthcare business commented: “At a time when a great deal of today’s health debate has been squarely focused on smoking, obesity and binge drinking, our tracking research shows that stress and tiredness-related conditions are top of the public's agenda. People fear that their punishing daily schedules are taking a toll on their sense of health and well being.”
Chris continued: “Music is proving to be a helpful stress buster. Pop is helping people switch off and the resurgence of classical music suggests this type of music still has something to offer busy Brits which is amazing given it is Mozart’s 250th anniversary this year.”
“The way that people choose different music to help them deal with stress, also underlines the way that people deal differently with their healthcare provision. Legal & General’s new private medical insurance, Legal & General’s HealthCare Choices is attuned to the needs of the ‘iPod Generation’ who, like their choice in music also wish to choose different healthcare elements to suit them.”
