by Karen Young (BSc)(Psych)(Hons)MastGestTher

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It’s the Most Relaxing Song Ever and It Can Do This …

It's the Most Relaxing Song Ever and It Can Do This ...

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”]

16 Comments

Mahendra c

Thank you very much . My daughter shared this wonderful music& I am off 2 hypertension tablets

Reply
Lena

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.

Reply
Yachiru

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 🙂

Reply
Gayatri M

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.

Reply
Annette

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.

Reply
Jennifer

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? ????

Reply
Robert Forster

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.

Reply
Kathy Dolianitis

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.

Reply
Marilena Voce

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.

Reply
heysigmund

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.

Reply
Diane

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!

Reply

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karenyoung_heysigmund

Thanks so much @maggiedentauthor♥️…
“Karen Young - Hey Sigmund has such a wonderful way with words especially around anxiety. This is her latest beautiful picture book that explains anxiety through the lens of the Polyvagal theory using the metaphor of a house. This shows how sometimes anxiety can be hard to notice. I think this book can help kids and teens better understand stress and anxiety. I loved it! This would be great for homes, schools and in libraries.
Congratulations Karen.💛”

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Nov 27

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Thanks so much @maggiedentauthor♥️… “Karen Young - Hey Sigmund has such a wonderful way with words especially around anxiety. This is her latest beautiful picture book that explains anxiety through the lens of the Polyvagal theory using the metaphor of a house. This shows how sometimes anxiety can be hard to notice. I think this book can help kids and teens better understand stress and anxiety. I loved it! This would be great for homes, schools and in libraries. Congratulations Karen.💛”

karenyoung_heysigmund

Of course we love them, no matter what - but they need to feel us loving them, no matter what. Especially when they are acting in unlovable ways, or saying unlovable things. Especially then.

This is not ‘rewarding bad behaviour’. To think this assumes that they want to behave badly. They don’t. What they want is to feel calm and safe again, but in that moment they don’t have the skills to do that themselves, so they need us to help them.

It’s leading with love. It’s showing up, even when it’s hard. The more connected they feel to us, the more capacity we will have to lead them - back to calm, into better choices, towards claiming their space in the world kindly, respectfully, and with strength.

This is not about dropping the boundary, but about holding it lovingly, ‘I can see you’re doing it tough right now. I’m right here. No, I won’t let you [name the boundary]. I’m right here. You’re not in trouble. We’ll get through this together.’

If you’re not sure what they need, ask them (when they are calm), ‘When you get upset/ angry/ anxious, what could I do that would help you feel loved and cared for in that moment? And this doesn’t mean saying ‘yes’ to a ‘no’ situation. What can I do to make the no easier to handle? What do I do that makes it harder?’♥️

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Nov 20

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Of course we love them, no matter what - but they need to feel us loving them, no matter what. Especially when they are acting in unlovable ways, or saying unlovable things. Especially then. This is not ‘rewarding bad behaviour’. To think this assumes that they want to behave badly. They don’t. What they want is to feel calm and safe again, but in that moment they don’t have the skills to do that themselves, so they need us to help them. It’s leading with love. It’s showing up, even when it’s hard. The more connected they feel to us, the more capacity we will have to lead them - back to calm, into better choices, towards claiming their space in the world kindly, respectfully, and with strength. This is not about dropping the boundary, but about holding it lovingly, ‘I can see you’re doing it tough right now. I’m right here. No, I won’t let you [name the boundary]. I’m right here. You’re not in trouble. We’ll get through this together.’ If you’re not sure what they need, ask them (when they are calm), ‘When you get upset/ angry/ anxious, what could I do that would help you feel loved and cared for in that moment? And this doesn’t mean saying ‘yes’ to a ‘no’ situation. What can I do to make the no easier to handle? What do I do that makes it harder?’♥️

karenyoung_heysigmund

Believe them AND believe in them.

‘Yes this is hard. I know how much you don’t want to do this. It feels big doesn’t it. And I know you can do big things, even when it feels like you can’t. How can I help?’

They won’t believe in themselves until we show them what they are capable of. For this, we’ll have to believe in their ‘can’ more than they believe in their ‘can’t’.♥️

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Nov 19

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Believe them AND believe in them. ‘Yes this is hard. I know how much you don’t want to do this. It feels big doesn’t it. And I know you can do big things, even when it feels like you can’t. How can I help?’ They won’t believe in themselves until we show them what they are capable of. For this, we’ll have to believe in their ‘can’ more than they believe in their ‘can’t’.♥️

karenyoung_heysigmund

Sometimes it feels as though how we feel directs what we do, but it also works the other way: What we do will direct how we feel.

When we avoid, we feel more anxious, and a bigger need to avoid. But when we do brave - and it only needs to be a teeny brave step - we feel brave. The braver we do, the braver we feel, and the braver we do… This is how we build brave - with tiny, tiny uncertain steps.

So, tell me how you feel. All feelings are okay to be there. Now tell me what you like to do if your brave felt a little bigger. What tiny step can we take towards that. Because that brave is always in you. Always. And when you take the first step, your brave will rise bigger to meet you.♥️
.
.
#anxietyinkids #consciousparenting #parentingtips #gentleparent #parentinglife #mindfulparenting #childanxiety #heywarrior

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Nov 11

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Sometimes it feels as though how we feel directs what we do, but it also works the other way: What we do will direct how we feel. When we avoid, we feel more anxious, and a bigger need to avoid. But when we do brave - and it only needs to be a teeny brave step - we feel brave. The braver we do, the braver we feel, and the braver we do… This is how we build brave - with tiny, tiny uncertain steps. So, tell me how you feel. All feelings are okay to be there. Now tell me what you like to do if your brave felt a little bigger. What tiny step can we take towards that. Because that brave is always in you. Always. And when you take the first step, your brave will rise bigger to meet you.♥️ . . #anxietyinkids #consciousparenting #parentingtips #gentleparent #parentinglife #mindfulparenting #childanxiety #heywarrior

karenyoung_heysigmund

If anxiety has had extra big teeth lately, I know how brutal this feels. I really do. Think of it as the invitation to strengthen your young ones against anxiety. It’s not the disappearance of brave, or the retreat of brave. It’s the invitation to build their brave.

This is because the strengthening against anxiety happens only with experience. When the experience is in front of you, it can feel like bloodshed. I know that. I really do. But this is when we fight for them and with them - to show them they can do this.

The need to support their avoidance can feel relentless. But as long as they are safe, we don’t need to hold them back. We’ll want to, and they’ll want us to, but we don’t need to.

Handling the distress of anxiety IS the work. Anxiety isn’t the disruption to building brave, it’s the invitation to build brave. As their important adult who knows they are capable, strong, and brave, you are the one to help them do that.

The amygdala only learns from experience - for better or worse. So the more they avoid, the more the amygdala learns that the thing they are avoiding is ‘unsafe’, and it will continue to drive a big fight (anger, distress) or flight (avoidance) response.

On the other hand, when they stay with the discomfort of anxiety - and they only need to stay with it for a little longer each time (tiny steps count as big steps with anxiety) - the amygdala learns that it’s okay to move forward. It’s safe enough.

This learning won’t happen quickly or easily though. In fact, it will probably get worse before it gets better. This is part of the process of strengthening them against anxiety, not a disruption to it.

As long as they are safe, their anxiety and the discomfort of that anxiety won’t hurt them.
What’s important making sure they don’t feel alone in their distress. We can do this with validation, which shows our emotional availability.

They also need to feel us holding the boundary, by not supporting their avoidance. This sends the message that we trust their capacity to handle this.

‘I know this feels big, and I know you can do this. What would feel brave right now?’♥️

View

Nov 7

Open
If anxiety has had extra big teeth lately, I know how brutal this feels. I really do. Think of it as the invitation to strengthen your young ones against anxiety. It’s not the disappearance of brave, or the retreat of brave. It’s the invitation to build their brave. This is because the strengthening against anxiety happens only with experience. When the experience is in front of you, it can feel like bloodshed. I know that. I really do. But this is when we fight for them and with them - to show them they can do this. The need to support their avoidance can feel relentless. But as long as they are safe, we don’t need to hold them back. We’ll want to, and they’ll want us to, but we don’t need to. Handling the distress of anxiety IS the work. Anxiety isn’t the disruption to building brave, it’s the invitation to build brave. As their important adult who knows they are capable, strong, and brave, you are the one to help them do that. The amygdala only learns from experience - for better or worse. So the more they avoid, the more the amygdala learns that the thing they are avoiding is ‘unsafe’, and it will continue to drive a big fight (anger, distress) or flight (avoidance) response. On the other hand, when they stay with the discomfort of anxiety - and they only need to stay with it for a little longer each time (tiny steps count as big steps with anxiety) - the amygdala learns that it’s okay to move forward. It’s safe enough. This learning won’t happen quickly or easily though. In fact, it will probably get worse before it gets better. This is part of the process of strengthening them against anxiety, not a disruption to it. As long as they are safe, their anxiety and the discomfort of that anxiety won’t hurt them. What’s important making sure they don’t feel alone in their distress. We can do this with validation, which shows our emotional availability. They also need to feel us holding the boundary, by not supporting their avoidance. This sends the message that we trust their capacity to handle this. ‘I know this feels big, and I know you can do this. What would feel brave right now?’♥️

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