Loneliness is an emotion that arises when your mind is not relaxed due to current worries and anxieties. If you want to ease your loneliness, we recommend listening to music that has a relaxing effect.

This time, we will introduce three pieces of music that you can listen to on lonely nights to help ease your loneliness.

1. "Weightless," a song produced in collaboration with a British band and the Music Therapy Society

If you want to relax your mind and shake off loneliness, we recommend listening to "Weightless," a song jointly produced by a British band and the Music Therapy Society. The song's relaxing effects have been scientifically verified by the Mind Lab research institute, and it is one of the ambient music (environmental music) recognized as "the most relaxing piece of music in the world."

To test the relaxing effects of "Weightless," MindLab research institute tested 40 women's stress levels before and after listening to the song in 2011. They first had them solve timed problems to increase their stress levels, then listened to the song to see what effects were observed.

The results of the test showed that listening to "Weightless" after solving the puzzles had an 11% greater relaxation effect than other songs, and also reduced tension by 65% ​​and heart rate by 35%, reducing the subjects' stress levels and proving to be a relaxing experience. [Note 1]

The highly relaxing song "Weightless" was produced by the British Music Therapy Association and the British-based band "Marconi Union," and the official video has now been released. The video shows countless illuminated drones flying slowly over a fountain, creating a fantastical atmosphere and creating a floating feeling that matches the title "Weightless."

According to the aforementioned test, the song has also been shown to have the effect of inducing sleepiness, so listening to it on a lonely night will help you relax and fall asleep easily.

2. Songs featuring classical and shamisen sounds, including "1/f fluctuation"

If you want to relax on a lonely night, we recommend listening to classical music or shamisen music that includes "1/f fluctuations." "1/f fluctuations" are frequency characteristics that contain Fourier components, where the rhythm is not constant, such as in the sound of a heartbeat or a flowing river, but the energy spectrum converges to a constant amplitude per unit time. They are also found in some visual information, such as burning flames and lighting. [Note 2]

"1/f fluctuation" has the effect of inducing "alpha waves" (8-13Hz), brain waves that are secreted when the mind and body are in a relaxed state, so if you can sense "1/f fluctuation" through your hearing or vision, it is possible to alleviate feelings of anxiety and loneliness.

There has actually been an experiment that has verified the effects of "1/f fluctuation" on the mind and body. The frequency characteristics of "1/f fluctuation" were artificially reproduced using LED lighting, and the light source was surrounded by an object, and five subjects were indirectly exposed to the LED light for a certain period of time, and physiological changes were measured. The psychological evaluation results showed that in addition to a decrease in anxiety, the level of relaxation improved and an increase in "alpha waves" was observed. [Note 3]

"1/f fluctuation" is a frequency characteristic that is found in many places in nature, but it is also present in some of the music we listen to on a daily basis. An experiment was conducted using equipment to measure frequency characteristics, and a number of music genres were analyzed in a complex manner to determine which music contained "1/f fluctuation."

After testing a wide range of genres, including classical and contemporary music, the existence of "1/f fluctuation" was confirmed in Japanese music (shamisen) and classical music (orchestrated music). However, there were also genres where the values ​​showing the frequency characteristics of "1/f fluctuation" were so minute that they were barely detectable. [Note 4]

3. Songs with a tempo that is equal to or slower than your pulse rate, but not too fast

There is no set BPM that is appropriate for your pulse rate, as it varies depending on your physical condition and the individual, but if you want to calm down and relax, listen to music that is not too fast and has a tempo that is equal to or slower than your pulse rate. Specifically, slow-tempo ballads or soothing music are suitable songs.

In one experiment, three tempos were prepared: one that was the same as the subject's pulse rate, one that was 40% slower than the pulse rate, and one that was 40% faster than the pulse rate, and the effects of each tempo on the mind and body were examined. The subject was seated in a chair and held a spirometer, and the changes that occurred when listening to each tempo were examined.

The results of the study showed that differences in tempo did not affect pulse rates. However, when asked about the tempo they felt most comfortable listening to, 13 out of 27 subjects answered "a tempo 40% slower than the pulse rate," while 10 answered "a tempo equal to the pulse rate." [Note 5]

However, the tempo that you find comfortable varies depending on your personal preferences, with some people finding slow tempos comfortable, while others find fast tempos comfortable. In fact, in the test mentioned above, two out of 27 subjects answered that a tempo faster than their pulse rate was comfortable. To find the tempo that is comfortable for you, listen to music with a variety of tempos and find the one that suits you best.

Try these songs on those sleepless nights when you feel lonely

On lonely nights, listen to music that calms your mind and relaxes you, helping to ease your sense of loneliness. If you feel like the music you normally listen to isn't relaxing enough, why not try listening to the music introduced in this article?

[Note 1] Daily Mail Online: Is this the most relaxing song EVER? Listen to the music that is 'scientifically proven' to send you to sleep
[Note 2] Hosei University Graduate School: Visualization of 1/f fluctuation characteristics during energy conversion phenomena [pdf]
[Note 3] Tokyo Denki University: Study on a healing environment using 1/f fluctuations [pdf]
[Note 4] Hosei University Graduate School: Extraction of 1/f fluctuation frequencies from sound data [pdf]
[Note 5] Chiba University: A study on synchronization between physiological functions and tempo [pdf]