It’s time to face the music — and your skin will thank you for it.
Vibing out to hits from the chart-topping likes of Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, SZA and Drake is no longer solely a form of funky entertainment — it’s now a means to achieving healthy skin, according to an October study on the therapeutic benefits of tranquil sounds.
“Relaxing music can have a profound effect on how we feel — physically and psychologically,” Micheal Bonshor, professor of Music Psychology at the University of Sheffield in the UK, said in the research conducted by luxury skincare membership club BeautyPie.
“The neurological pathways which process sound affect the brain’s limbic system, which is responsible for emotional responses, memory and behavior. So listening to ‘relaxing’ music helps us to regulate our emotions,” continued Bonshor. “It can also reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure and reduce cortisol, [which is] the stress hormone.”
In the report, analysts point to an October 2021 study featured in the National Library of Medicine, which found that stress can “increase skin inflammation, increase itching, impair skin barrier function, impair wound healing, and suppress immunity.”
However, the researchers found that mind-body therapies — remedies that simultaneously heal the mind and the body, such as relaxation therapy through music — can reduce stress and aid in the elimination of dermatologic conditions, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and self-induced skin conditions.
To determine which artists, genres and songs created the most calming ambiance for the skin, BeautyPie probers analyzed 1.4 million songs across Spotify playlists containing keywords like “skincare,” “wellness,” “relaxing,” and “self-care.”
“We calculated the total number of times each musician and song were included, then ranked them to discover which artists and tracks help us to unwind the most,” said the researchers, who deemed Taylor Swift “the world’s most relaxing musician.”
“Tempo is the most significant factor in determining whether a song is relaxing or not — approximately 60 to 80 beats per minute, or bpm, is the most common as this is similar to our resting heart rate during relaxation,” explained Bonshor.
And although the tempo of Swift’s music is often faster, at an average of 108 bpm, Bonshor said: “When we are relaxing, we tend to tune into the stronger emphasis on the first and third beats of the bar, so we experience the music as a slower, repeated two-beat pattern.”
“This means the Taylor Swift catalog has a relaxing ‘pulse,’ and our bodies naturally synchronize with [it],” he added.
Artists such as Lana Del Rey and the Canadian band Little Symphony took the second- and third-place spots on the list of the 25 most relaxing luminaries.
The “Cardigan” crooning pop princess’ top ranking notwithstanding, clinicians found that Hip-Hop reigned as the most relaxing musical genre of them all.
“Hip-hop songs typically sits around 80 bpm. Repetition also contributes to the relaxing properties of a song and hip-hop is famous for having a repetitive, cyclical beat that many fans of the genre deem more important than the lyrics,” said Bonshor.
“Repetitive melodies, lyrics and steady rhythmic patterns, that we can quickly tune into and remember, make for a soothing listening experience.”
Per the findings, hitmakers such as The Weeknd, Drake, Frank Ocean, Doja Cat and Kendrick Lamar each boast a lulling flow.
But it was Ariana Grande’s 2016 track “Moonlight” that earned the study’s top billing as the most soothing song across Spotify, appearing on a whopping 96 playlists associated with chilling out.
“Ariana’s ‘Moonlight’ has 102 beats per minute if we listen for the 4 beats in a bar,” Bonshor revealed. “However, if we focus on the stronger first and third beats in the bar, we ‘feel’ the music pace as two slow beats in every bar, giving us a restful 51 bpm.”
And SZA — who, alongside “Telepatía” songstress Kali Uchis, was one of the only high-ranking R&B artists to appear in the study — was given the gold for her ever-buzzy “Kill Bill” offering, which was lauded the best song to “accompany a skincare regimen.”
Researchers found that the TikTok-viral ditty was featured 48 times on Spotify playlists that were specifically dedicated to “skincare.” Her track “Good Days” ranked as No. 2 on the list.
“Melodies in many relaxing songs tend to be limited in range and move up and down in small steps; not only SZA’s music but also Taylor Swift’s ‘Cardigan’, and Kali Uchis’ ‘Telepathía,’” said Bonshor.
Here’s BeautyPie’s list of the best and most relaxing sounds for skin health
- World’s most relaxing musician: Taylor Swift
- Most relaxing genre: Hip-hop
- Most relaxing song: “Moonlight” by Ariana Grande
- Best song to accompany a skincare regimen: “Kill Bill” by SZA
Music has long been hailed a viable form of treatment for a number of stress-induced maladies.
In fact, a February 2021 investigation found that listening to cheesy tunes from the 1980s like Wham!’s “Freedom” or Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings,” can spark a decrease in blood pressure and cause a heart rate to drop to healthy speeds.
And the July 2023 “brain-flossing” trend, which took self-care enthusiasts on TikTok by storm, saw participants use peaceful sounds to combat mental health issues through a specialized audio technique.
An avid flosser said of the music-centric movement: “It can help with ADHD, anxiety and worry.”
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