1) Music Helps You Relax

Yes, research shows music is relaxing.

I know, I know, obvious, right? But what you might not know is the type of music that helps people relax best.

Need to chill out? Skip the pop and jazz and head for the classical.

Via Richard Wiseman’s excellent book 59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute  Blood pressure readings revealed that listening to pop or jazz music had the same restorative effect as total silence. In contrast, those who listened to Pachelbel and Vivaldi relaxed much more quickly, and so their blood pressure dropped back to the normal level in far less time.

2) Angry Music Improves Your PerformancWe usually think of anger as something that’s just universally bad. But the emotion has positive uses too.

Anger focuses attention on rewards, increases persistence, makes us feel in control and more optimistic about achieving our goals.

When test subjects listened to angry music while playing video games, they got higher scores.

Via The Science of Sin: The Psychology of the Seven Deadlies (and Why They Are So Good For You):

What Tamir and her colleagues found was that people preferred to listen to the angry music before playing Soldier of Fortune. Faced with a task in which anger might serve a useful function, facilitating the shooting of enemies, participants opted for an anger boost. What’s more, listening to the angry music actually improved performance…

3) Music Reduces Pain

When ibuprofen isn’t doing the job, might be time to put on your favorite song.

Research shows it can reduce pain:

Preferred music was found to significantly increase tolerance and perceived control over the painful stimulus and to decrease anxiety compared with both the visual distraction and silence conditions..

 4 Lifehacks From Ancient Philosophers That Will Make You Happier

4) Music Can Give You A Better Workout….What’s the best thing to have on your iPod at the gym?……………….The weight room is no place to try new genres. Playing your favorites can boost performance: