Stress and Music: A Coping Mechanism for College Students
While the “college experience” is filled with new opportunities and exciting events, it is not without its fair share of stress from its overwhelming workload and high-pressure situations. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic further heightened levels of perceived stress and other mental issues among students. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland examined various methods for coping with stress during the pandemic. They found that listening to music, no matter the genre, was ranked among the most effective stress coping strategies. This suggests that simply listening to music could help maintain mental health.
Through a series of surveys, the researchers collected data from 402 first-year university students, measuring their overall well-being and the effectiveness of a handful of stress coping strategies. Overall well-being was rated using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing scale (WEMWBS), a standardized tool for measuring mental health. The effectiveness of the stress coping strategies was quantified from the participants’ scores on questionnaires.
Their results indicated that listening to music, alongside a few other methods such as exercise, changing locations, and sleep, were the most effective strategies for reducing stress during the pandemic. There was a positive correlation between mental well-being and listening to music, revealing that the use of music for stress management was related to a “slightly higher” level of well-being among the students. However, the genre of music showed no significant correlation with the effectiveness of music as a stress coping strategy — the benefit of listening to music seemed to be based on self-selection, not a particular stress-relieving sound that was consistent among all participants. While the study suffered from a few limitations — the relatively small sample size composed entirely of first-year university students — the results suggest that listening to music is a beneficial practice for coping with stress, especially during a global pandemic.
Through a series of surveys, the researchers collected data from 402 first-year university students, measuring their overall well-being and the effectiveness of a handful of stress coping strategies. Overall well-being was rated using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing scale (WEMWBS), a standardized tool for measuring mental health. The effectiveness of the stress coping strategies was quantified from the participants’ scores on questionnaires.
Their results indicated that listening to music, alongside a few other methods such as exercise, changing locations, and sleep, were the most effective strategies for reducing stress during the pandemic. There was a positive correlation between mental well-being and listening to music, revealing that the use of music for stress management was related to a “slightly higher” level of well-being among the students. However, the genre of music showed no significant correlation with the effectiveness of music as a stress coping strategy — the benefit of listening to music seemed to be based on self-selection, not a particular stress-relieving sound that was consistent among all participants. While the study suffered from a few limitations — the relatively small sample size composed entirely of first-year university students — the results suggest that listening to music is a beneficial practice for coping with stress, especially during a global pandemic.
College is an extremely stressful experience for many students. Finding effective strategies to cope with stress is an important aspect of maintaining mental health.
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Other studies explain the biological role of music in stress reduction. One study found that music evokes activity in the brain structures that underlie emotion, which can help people regulate their moods and engage in social functions. Another study demonstrated that music prevents markers of stress, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, through the regulation of norepinephrine levels. These results suggest that music has a positive influence on the listener’s mental state, including a strong connection with decreasing stress.
As a college student struggling with difficult classes, a heavy workload, and pandemic-related worries, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Numerous studies indicate that listening to music is an easy yet effective strategy for coping with stress. So playing music while studying, or taking a breather while listening to a favorite track, can be useful in maintaining mental health.
As a college student struggling with difficult classes, a heavy workload, and pandemic-related worries, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Numerous studies indicate that listening to music is an easy yet effective strategy for coping with stress. So playing music while studying, or taking a breather while listening to a favorite track, can be useful in maintaining mental health.
Featured Image Source: Charlotte May
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