It’s official, and it’s backed by science: There is a song that now enjoys the title of being the most relaxing song ever produced.
Studies have consistently shown that music can have an enormous impact on emotional and physical health, positively affecting performance, mood, self-expression and self-esteem.
Sound therapists and Manchester band Marconi Union teamed up to produce the quintessential relaxation track using proven elements of scientific theory. The song they created is ‘Weightless’ and research by the British Academy of Sound Therapy found that it was able to lower blood pressure, slow heart rate and reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) at unprecedented rates.
‘Weightless’ is eight minutes long but the ride is a blissful one.
Feelings of euphoria and comfort are created by deliberately chosen gaps in the notes. The song features guitar, piano and electronic samples of natural landscapes and other elements that have been scientifically proven to induce relaxation.
It begins at 60 beats per minute then gradually slows to around 50, at which time the listener’s heartbeat automatically falls into line with the beat. This process is known as entrainment and it takes about five minutes for this to start, explaining why the song had to be a reasonably lengthy one. According to Lyz Cooper, founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, the gentle slowing brings calm to the body, shifting the heart, respiration, blood pressure and brainwaves into a deeply relaxed state.
The absence of repetitive melodies prevents the brain from trying to predict what comes next, allowing the brain to essentially ‘switch off’.
Studies found that ‘Weightless’ was 11% more relaxing than any other song, outdoing the likes of Mozart, Enya and Coldplay. The song dropped overall anxiety rates by 65%, bringing participants to a level 35 % lower than their usual resting rate. The relaxation effect was evident even though participants were given a stressful task to complete in within a stressful time constraint.
Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson, Director of Research at Mindlab International, who conducted the study, explained the research showed that, ‘Weightless was so effective, many women became drowsy and I would advise against driving while listening to the song because it could be dangerous.’
The song was found to be more relaxing than a massage, a walk or a cup of tea.
The top 10 list of most relaxing songs is:
- 1. Weightless (Marconi Union)
- 2. Electra (Airstream)
- 3. Mellomaniac (DJ Shah – Chill Out Mix)
- 4. Watermark (Enya)
- 5. Strawberry Swing (Coldplay)
- 6. Please Don’t Go (Barcelona)
- 7. Pure Shores (All Saints
- 8. Someone Like You (Adele)
- 9. Canzonetta Sull’aria (Mozart)
- 10. We Can Fly (Café Del Mar).
Click here to listen to ‘Weightless’.
See you in 8 minutes – maybe – if the beats haven’t taken you somewhere lovely.
[irp posts=”890″ name=”Rethinking Stress: How Changing Your Thinking Could Save Your Life”]
Thank you very much . My daughter shared this wonderful music& I am off 2 hypertension tablets
I have a song that makes me calmer and its actually not one of the ones on this list, look at the bottom if you don’t want to hear the story behind it ha, I do dance and I was struggling. I had a life altering injury from my running and dancing and overall overuse of my tendon (I still have it), but I didn’t want to give up on the things I loved. I couldn’t get myself out of this funk because what made me happy was dancing with my team and I wasn’t allowed to dance. I had no idea what to do until I walked into a ballet class (Sorry if this is confusing I could still do basic moves but jumping and moving to fast was out of the question so I still attended ballet) and my teacher had me be in the dance but not be up on pointe or do anything complicated, plus I left halfway through and only had one jump the whole time (I wanted to show them I could still do it so my doctor said one jump was fine) and when I started dancing and I heard the music I just got really calm and I want to help other people who need something to lift them up. The song is Je Te Laisserai Des Mots. Hope this helps and sorry this response is several years late.
Yes that one is a really great song, I would enourage anyone who has not heard it to go listen. That’s an awesome story Lena, I hope you can keep dancing and you can enjoy your ballet 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story, Robert. I’ve been dealing anxiety and depression too and this made me smile 🙂
And thanks for the article Karen! I’m glad I came across this today.
Just tried to listen to that “weightless” music, was so weird and notr relaxed at all. I felt tensing up, so I stopped. At least I have learned to stop and not endure if something supposedly relaxing does not relax me at all like I used to.
The same thing happened to me. Then 2 years later I tried again and realized it’s supposed to be this way. The change happens gradually. The music aligns with your heartbeat. As the music slowed down guess what happened next? ????
I have suffered anxiety with panic and depression for about 40 years. My daughter was getting married and I wanted to say a few nice words and send her on her way, but I couldnt as I was. I started everything at one time, asprins every day for some time, breathing exercises even at night if I woke, self hypnosis, meditation, exercise and more. I then went on a course in speech making only to realise that the anxiety had gone after approx. 6-8 months. I held a speech for my daughter at her wedding and felt great about it. It was one of the great experiences of my life….nothing is impossible.
Love hearing this! Thank you for sharing your story.
Wonderful work on behalf of the owner of this web
site, superb post.
Will have a listen, thanks…
Please look at the website on Music Therapy from the American Music Therapy Association. It will share with you about music therapy and just how long this has been used in our country. First came about after the second WW and helped with veterans were experiencing PTSD and veterans after the war and other feelings that they were experiencing.
Music is a wonderful tool to use. I have never heard the term sound therapist, but the correct term usually to use is music therapist.
[…] to soothe my jangled nerves, I google-searched for “most relaxing music” and found the ten most relaxing songs in the world. The number one most relaxing song on the list is “Weightless” by Marconi Union. […]
Thank you for your easy read on anxiety. I have a 12 year old son who suffers from anxiety which triggers his facial ticks. He has low self asteem because of both. It is both painful and at times frustrating to watch him go through it. As a mom I feel useless at times. I find your information to be very helpful. I will especially try the music part.
Thank you very much for sharing.
You’re welcome. I’m pleased you’re going to share some of the information with him. It’s awful when you can see your kids really struggling with something and you can’t do anything to help them. You’re doing a great job. Your son is so loved – I can hear that from your comment. Counselling might be an option for you if his self-esteem continues to suffer. He will get through – just keep loving him as you are and supporting him as you do.
I love the list of most relaxing songs! I can’t wait to listen to them and download !
Thank you again for another helpful article!
You’re welcome! I’m so pleased you’re going to do this!
Join our newsletter
We would love you to follow us on Social Media to stay up to date with the latest Hey Sigmund news and upcoming events.
Follow Hey Sigmund on Instagram
karenyoung_heysigmund
207
karenyoung_heysigmund
First, we ask the questions of us:
Are they relationally safe?
- Do they have an anchor adult at school?
- Do they know how to access this adult?
- Do they feel welcome, a sense of belonging, warmth from their adults?
Do they feel safe in their bodies?
- Are they able to move their bodies when they need to?
- Are they free from sensory overload or underload?
- If not, what is their bare minimum list to achieve this with minimum disruption to the class, keeping in mind that when they feel safer in their bodies, there will naturally be less disruptive behaviour and more capacity to engage, learn, regulate.
Then we ask the question of them:
What`s one little step you can take? And don`t tell me nothing because I know that you are amazing, and brave, and capable. I`m here right beside you to show you how much. I believe in you, even if you don`t believe in yourself enough yet.❤️
#anxietyrelief #anxiouskids #anxietyinkids #anxiousteens #childanxiety #positiveparenting
Dec 3
karenyoung_heysigmund
♥️
Nov 27
karenyoung_heysigmund
Ready ... set ... SALE!
Our Black Friday Sale is live. For a short time, we’re taking 25% off books, plushies, courses, and tiny beautiful things.
The resources have been created to calm anxiety, build courage and resilience, and nurture the capacity for self-regulation all kids and teens.
The books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. They’ve been read, loaned, gifted, and loved throughout the world. (The sale will also help you restock any resources that might have gone walking - apparently they tend to do that a bit!)
If you haven’t discovered the stickers, tattoos and tins yet, pop over and take a look. We’ve left the lights on for you!
See here for more information or to buy https://www.heysigmund.com/shop/.
Nov 24
karenyoung_heysigmund
Boundaries aren`t requests we make of them. They`re the actions we take to keep them (and everyone else involved) physically safe, relationally safe, and to preserve values when they aren`t able to.
The rule: Phones in the basket at 5pm.
The boundary: (What I`m going to do when you`re having trouble with the rule.)
`Okay - I can see you`re having trouble popping your phone in the basket. I`m just going to sit beside you as a reminder that it`s time. Take your time. I`ll just watch over your shoulder until you`re ready. So who are we texting? What are we watching?`
Or:
`I know you hate this rule. It`s okay to be annoyed. It`s not okay to yell. I`m not going to listen while you`re yelling.`
Then, `This phones in the basket thing is chewing into our night when we start it at 5pm. We`ll see how we go tomorrow and if it`s bumpy, we`ll shift to phones in the basket from 4:30pm. Let`s see how we go.`
It`s not a punishment or a threat. It`s also not about what they do, but about what we do to lead the situation into a better place.
Of course, this doesn`t always mean we`ll hold the boundary with a calm and clear head. It certainly doesn`t mean that. We`re human and sometimes we`ll lose our own minds as though they weren`t ours to own. Ugh. Been there too many times. That`s okay - this is an opportunity to model humility, repair, self-compassion. What`s important is that we repair the relational rupture as soon as we can. This might sound like, `I`m sorry I yelled. That must have been confusing for you - me yelling at you to stop yelling. Let`s try that again.`❤️
Nov 18
karenyoung_heysigmund
Boundaries are about what WE do to preserve physical safety, relational safety, and values. They aren’t about punishment. They’re the consequences that make sense as a way to put everything right again and restore calm and safety.
When someone is in the midst of big feelings or big behaviour, they (as with all of us when we’re steamy) have limited capacity to lead the situation into a better place.
Because of this, rather than focusing on what we need them to do, shift the focus on what we can do to lead back to calm.
This might sound like:
The rule (what we want them to do): Phones go in the basket at 5pm.
The boundary (what we do when the rule is broken), with love and leadership: ‘I can see you’re having trouble letting go of your phone. That’s okay - I’m just going to sit beside you until you’re ready. Take your time. You’re not in trouble. I’ll just stay here and watch over your shoulder until you’re done.’
Or …
‘I can see this phones in the basket process is dragging out and chewing into our night when we start it at 5pm. If that keeps happening I’ll be starting this process at 4pm instead of 5pm.’
And if there’s a bit of spice in their response, part of being a reliable, sturdy leader is also being able to lead them through that. Even if on the inside you feel like you’re about to explode 🤯 (we’ve all been there), the posture is ‘I can handle this, and I can handle you.’ This might sound like,
‘Yep you’re probably going to have a bit to say about it. That’s okay - I don’t need you to agree with me. I know it’s annoying - and it’s happening.’
‘I won’t listen when you’re speaking to me like this. Take your time though. Get it out of you and then we can get on with the evening.’
Then, when the spicy has gone, that’s the time to talk about what’s happened. ‘You’re such a great kid. I know you know it’s not okay to talk to me like that. How are we going to put this right? Let’s yet 5pm again tomorrow and see how we go. If it causes trouble we’ll start earlier. I actually think we’ll be okay though.’♥️
Nov 10
Pin It on Pinterest