Music relieves pain.

Bob Marley once said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Turns out, science backs him up. According to a 2023 study by scientists at McGill University in Montreal, listening to your favorite music reduces pain by one point on a 10-point scale. Scientists asked a series of questionsafter 63 participants experienced pain while listening to either their favorite songs, relaxing songs picked for them, scrambled music, or silence. Once each seven-minute round was over, subjects rated the music’s pleasantness and how many “chills” — that goosebump feeling you get when listening to moving music — they experienced. Listening to preferred music, especially moving music, far outranked other scenarios, and participants ranked the pain as less intense and less unpleasant. 

Although this particular study focuses on music’s impact on physical health, the medical world has long known the healing powers of music when it comes to the mind. Music’s ability to reduce stress and anxiety while improving cognitive ability and memory inspired a field of medicine known as music therapy, which has existed in some form since the late 18th century. So while listening to your favorite Beatles track or kicking back with some Beethoven won’t be enough to curtail serious pain, music can help mellow out the aches of everyday life.