Chennai: In what has come as good news to music lovers, a recent study has found the benefits of listening to songs while driving.
While previous studies have proved that respiration rate was lower during music listening compared to rides without music, and no effects of music were found on heart rate, this new research by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has indicated that driving is ‘absolutely impossible’ without music.
According to Professor Warren Brodsky, director of the BGU Music Science Lab in the Department of the Arts, ‘To young drivers 18-29, music in the car isn’t just entertainment, it’s part of their autosphere whether they’re alone or not’.
“They are so used to constant stimulation and absorbing great amounts of information throughout the day, that they don’t question how the type of tunes they play might affect concentration, induce aggressive behaviour, or cause them to miscalculate risky situations,” he added.
Doug Seserman, chief executive officer, American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, said, “Music is an essential, universal language which we can all appreciate. Undoubtedly, though, the concerns that stem from the results of this study are worth considering”.
140 young adults responded to the study, published in Psychomusicology: Music, Mind and Brain.