Music’s role in the waiting room is more than just background noise: it could actually impact patients’ experience of their treatment.
In a survey of musical preferences, digital healthcare platform Tebra found that many people said classical music is the most relaxing genre.
As for the song with the strongest association with feelings of calm and relaxation in medical situations, respondents said ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey.
Meanwhile, metal, hip-hop/rap, and gospel were the genres people least wanted to hear in the waiting room.
These genres may exacerbate an already stressful medical situation, the researchers said.
Music’s role in the waiting room is more than just background noise: it could actually impact patients’ perceptions and behavior
Most people said classical music is the most relaxing genre to listen to in the doctor’s waiting office
Researchers analyzed 59,363 songs on Spotify which had been added to playlists containing the terms doctor’s office or dentist’s office waiting room.
Additionally, 1,002 Americans were surveyed about their music preferences and health habits.
Respondents were asked which genres they find most relaxing at the doctor’s office, and most stressful, and what type of music they tend to hear in medical settings.
They were also asked to point to individual songs on the playlists, and give preference for those they’d like to hear in a waiting room.
Don’t Stop Believin’ came out on top, followed by ‘I’m Like A Bird’ by Nelly Furtado and ‘Africa’ by TOTO.
Many people said classical music is the most relaxing genre, but it was also the one most associated with feeling pain in the waiting room
The most popular medical office waiting room song was ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
Half the respondents (around 500) thought classical music was the most relaxing to listen to in a waiting room.
Classical music was the genre most associated with pain at the doctor’s office, while country music was the one most associated with anxiety.
Jazz music was associated with the shortest wait times while country music was associated with the longest.
In a separate analysis, Spotify compiled a list of the world’s 20 most relaxing songs to help soothe the soul.
An analysis of over 76,000 tracks selected by Spotify users for their most chill public playlists revealed songs by folk-pop artist Ed Sheeran – ‘Perfect’ and ‘Thinking out Loud’ – are sure to ease your mind.
Songs by R&B crooner John Legend, TikTok sensation Surf Mesa, and the contemplative UK rockers of Coldplay also placed high in Spotify listener’s rankings.
But you may not recognize the music streamer’s most soothing artist – award-winning Bollywood film composer, instrumentalist, and singer Pritam (Pritam Chakraborty).
Of the top 150 highest-scoring songs on the relaxing list, Pritam had the largest body of work, with 10 tracks in the top 150 in all, including ‘Tum Se Hi’ (6th), ‘Raabta’ (19th), and ‘Subhanallah’ (20th).
One review, published in the Lancet in 2015, involved researchers examining the results of 72 trials involving almost 7,000 patients who were exposed to music before, during or after surgery and compared their response with control groups who didn’t listen to music.
The researchers, from Brunel University and Queen Mary University of London, found that patients who listened to music felt significantly less anxious after surgery and needed far less pain medication.
Although the impact was greatest among those who listened to their favorite songs before the operation, it also worked after an operation and most surprisingly, some people still experienced less pain after surgery even if the music was only played during the operation.
Which suggests that though they were unconscious, something was getting through.
