In researching the various effects of music on various aspects of our lives, I have come across several articles about how music enhances our dining experience. Several different research projects have been performed over the last decades with varying results, but one thing comes into focus out of all of them that I have looked at; there is a definite positive effect of music, especially slower classical style, on the dining experience in a restaurant. I am including this article as a sample to show this effect and to support what I observe regularly as I play the harp in the dining setting as well as the market setting. I regularly note that people seem to slow down and visit more and have more pleasant comments and experiences. I have had many comment to me of how much of a difference it made in their day to have me playing in the background. I am convinced that the harp music is yet again proved to be beneficial in this setting as well as many others.
The Effects of Background Music on Level of Conversation in an Eating Establishment
Stephenie C. Doss | Missouri Western State College December 5, 1995
Abstract
A study was conducted in the cafeteria of a Midwestern college to determine if the type of music played influences the level of conversation among patrons. Three types of music with different styles, perceived loudness, and beats were used for this study. The different types of music were presented to the patrons over a public address system instead of the radio station usually heard. Three readings were then taken in ten minute intervals to measure the decibel level of conversation among the subjects in the cafeteria. A significant difference was found between the different types of music and the levels of conversation associated with each type of music.
Introduction
The effect of music on behavior is a topic that has received much attention. There have been studies done to determine what effects it has on different behaviors under different conditions. A review of the literature shows that this area of interest has been the subject of research for over four decades. The earlier studies focused on the effectiveness of music in the psychiatric hospital setting (Sommer, 1957) and on group psychotherapy (Dollins, 1956). Both of these experiments showed a significant increase in verbal interaction with background music present.
Bonny, Cistrick, Makuch, Stevens, and Tally (1965) used the same idea, but placed in a more social setting when they studied the effects of music on verbal interaction among groups of college students in structured class settings. However, their findings did not show a significant increase in verbal interaction. There were many recommendations that came from this study that would increase the likelihood of finding a significant interaction in a similar study. The suggestions included an extended time for gathering data, an altered to design to allow for the effects on groups of varying sizes, a more efficient means of classification for measuring interactions, and a recategorization of music to allow for criteria other than “sedative” and “stimulative” music, as was restricted in their study.
In 1984, Stratton and Zalanowski also conducted a study using college students in large groups and two set types of background music: “soothing” and “stimulating”. The results of this study showed that the “soothing” music affected an increase in verbal interaction, thus supporting the hypothesis that music does have an effect on behavior. The experimenters were able to apply the findings by postulating that the “soothing” music helped the group to better focus on the task at hand and increase their functioning, which included verbal interaction.
In the latter half of the 1980s, the focus shifted to the effect background music had on consumer behavior. Foremost among these behaviors were those that involved food. Roballey (1985) studied the effects of music on eating behaviors. This study was conducted in the cafeteria of a university and utilized 11 subjects from the school, who were not aware of the study as it was conducted. It was found that the presence of background music significantly increased the average number of bites taken per minute, which again supports the hypothesis that music affects behavior.
One of the foremost names in the research of the effects of music on behavior is Ronald Milliman. His study in 1986 looked at the effects of background music on the behavior of restaurant patrons. He broke the different behaviors down to approach or avoidance behaviors. Verbal interaction was listed as an approach behavior. His conclusions showed that slower music increased the rate of approach behaviors, thus resulting in an increase in verbal interaction.
Most of the studies on music and behavior have involved humans, but Peretti and Kippschull (1991) studied the effects of different types of music on the social behaviors of mice. This study utilized a wide range of music types: from classical music on one end of the spectrum, encompassing country, blues, jazz, and easy listening, and finally with hard rock at the other end of the list. Once again, the results of the study supported the supposition that music has definite effects on behavior. All types of music showed to have some significant effect on an aspect of social behavior in mice. The studies done to determine the effect of music on behavior encompass many different designs, subjects, group sizes, types of music and settings.
The purpose of this study is to verify a link between the type of background music played in an eating establishment and the volume of conversation among the patrons. This study will show that music with a faster beat and a þlouderþ sound will result in a rise in the level of conversation among the subjects, with the other two types of music, which will have slower tempos and þquieterþ sounds, will affect a drop in the level of conversation. This link is particularly useful to business owners wishing to create a more relaxed and profitable atmosphere for their customers.
Methods
Subjects
The subjects for this study were students, faculty, and staff who utilize the services of the campus cafeteria at Missouri Western State College. More specifically, they are people who are present between 11:00 and 11:30 on weekdays. These subjects cover a wide range of demographics. They include both males and females, subjects of varying age, race, and ethnic backgrounds, as well as subjects with different types of music preferences.
Materials
The materials used in this study include the public address system located in the cafeteria office, a portable stereo, a microphone, three cassette tapes of hard rock music, country music, and classical music, and a sound pressure level reader that reads decibel levels from 0dB to 120dB. The tapes used to represent the three different music types were Danzig, for hard rock; Clay Walker, for country music; and a collection of classical songs, for classical music.
Procedure
The procedure of this study involved presenting the subjects with a 30 minute session of music over the public address system. This music differed from the music usually played in cafeteria in that these are three isolated types of music, as opposed to varying radio stations usually played by the cafeteria staff. Each of the three tapes, representing a different type of music, were randomly assigned to played each day at 11:00 in the morning each weekday for three weeks. The music was played on a portable stereo at a constant level of loudness, as controlled on the public address system. A reading was taken on the sound level pressure reader in 10 minute intervals to record the level of conversation among the subjects in the cafeteria. The music was then set back to the radio station that was playing before the set time of 11:00. The experimenter was seated at the back center of the cafeteria, and attempted to be as unobtrusive as possible. It was planned that the subjects will be unaware of the readings being taken, with only the cafeteria staff and management being aware of the study, however, a few of the staff members did tell some students about the study. This indiscretion seemed to have no effect on the students reactions to the music played.
Results
The results of this study showed a direct link between the type of background music being played and the level of conversation among the cafeteria patrons. The hard rock music resulted in a louder mean decibel reading (71.78 Db) for the level of conversation. The next higher level of conversation was linked with country music (66.78dB), and classical music resulted in the lowest mean decibel reading (63.11dB). These means support the hypothesis that faster paced music with a þlouderþ sound causes an increase in the level of conversation among patrons in an eating establishment.
A Oneway ANOVA was conducted on the data, resulting in a significant difference between the decibel readings taken on each type of music (F(2,51)=53.96,p<.05.) A Tukeys HSD test showed that the significant differences occurred between country music and classical music and differences between hard rock music and both classical music and country music.
Discussion
Since an analysis on the data showed a significant difference between the levels of conversation read for each type of data, the hypothesis of this study was supported. This study did indeed show a link between the type of background music played and the level of conversation among the subjects. The results of this study agree with and support other studies that reported increases in verbal interaction when more “stimulating” music was presented (Sommer, 1957; Dollins, 1956). This study does not agree with other studies showing an increase in verbal interaction in subjects exposed to “soothing” music (Bonny, et al, 1965; Stratton & Zalanowsi, 1984) however, this discrepancy may be attributed to the differences in setting. Many of these studies which disagree were done in a hospital setting, where the aim was to relax the patients enough to engage in verbal interaction. Milliman (1986) showed an increase in approach behaviors among restaurant patrons under the influence of “soothing” music, however, his study was not aimed exclusively towards conversation levels, and therefore had different criteria for measuring verbal interaction.
The results of this study can be useful to people in the restaurant business to help create an atmosphere that most benefit profit increase. Further studies done in this area would also be useful if done in different types of restaurants, so to better gauge the study to the pre-existing atmosphere of the establishment. Other studies would also be better served if readings could be taken at varying times of the day, thus controlling for differing moods of the patrons that may arise because of time constraints, etc. It would also be beneficial to conduct this study on weekends to include a wider range of subjects, including children and family groups. A study incorporating each of these suggestions cold conceivably produce results that would prove to be very beneficial to the field of consumer psychology.
References
Bonny, H.L., Cistrunk, M., Makuch, R., Stevens, E., & Tally, J. (1965). Some effects of music on verbal interaction in groups. Journal of Music Therapy, 2, 61-63. Dollins, C.N. (1956). The use of background music in a psychiatric hospital to increase group conversational frequency. Music Therapy, 6, 229-230. Milliman, R.E. (1986). The influence of background music on the behaviors of restaurant patrons. Journal of Consumer Research, 13, 286-289. Peretti, P.O., & Kippschull, H. (1991). Influence of five types of music on social behaviors of mice. Indian Journal of Behavior, 15, 51-58. Roballey, T.C. (1985). The effect of music on eating behavior. Bulletin of The Psychonomic Society, 23, 221-222. Sommer, D.T. (1957). The effect of background music on frequency of interaction in group psychotherapy. Music Therapy, 7, 167-168. Stratton, V.N., & Zalanowski, A. (1984). The effect of background music on verbal interaction in groups. Journal of Music Therapy, 21, 16-26.
Music therapy is the use of music by health care professionals to promote healing and enhance quality of life for their patients. Music therapy may be used to encourage emotional expression, promote social interaction, relieve symptoms, and for other purposes. Music therapists may use active or passive methods with patients, depending on the individual patient’s needs and abilities.
Overview
There is some evidence that, when used with conventional treatment, music therapy can help to reduce pain and relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. It may also relieve stress and provide an overall sense of well-being. Some studies have found that music therapy can lower heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate.
How is it promoted for use?
Music therapists work with a variety of physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms. Music therapy is often used in cancer treatment to help reduce pain, anxiety, and nausea caused by chemotherapy. Some people believe music therapy may be a beneficial addition to the health care of children with cancer by promoting social interaction and cooperation.
There is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, depression, and sleeplessness. There are no claims music therapy can cure cancer or other diseases, but medical experts do believe it can reduce some symptoms, aid healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient’s quality of life.
What does it involve?
Music therapists design music sessions for individuals and groups based on their needs and tastes. Some aspects of music therapy include making music, listening to music, writing songs, and talking about lyrics. Music therapy may also involve imagery and learning through music. It can be done in different places such as hospitals, cancer centers, hospices, at home, or anywhere people can benefit from its calming or stimulating effects. The patient does not need to have any musical ability to benefit from music therapy.
A related practice called music thanatology is sometimes used at the end of a patient’s life to ease the person’s passing. It is practiced in homes, hospices, or nursing homes.
What is the history behind it?
Music has been used in medicine for thousands of years. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that music could heal both the body and the soul. Native Americans have used singing and chanting as part of their healing rituals for millennia. The more formal approach to music therapy began in World War II, when U.S. Veterans Administration hospitals began to use music to help treat soldiers suffering from shell shock. In 1944, Michigan State University established the first music therapy degree program in the world.
Today, more than seventy colleges and universities have degree programs that are approved by the American Music Therapy Association. Music therapists must have at least a bachelor’s degree, 1,200 hours of clinical training, and one or more internships before they can be certified. There are thousands of professional music therapists working in health care settings in the United States today. They serve as part of cancer-management teams in many hospitals and cancer centers, helping to plan and evaluate treatment. Some music therapy services are covered by health insurance.
What is the evidence?
Scientific studies have shown the value of music therapy on the body, mind, and spirit of children and adults. Researchers have found that music therapy, when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy, can help ease nausea and vomiting. A number of clinical trials have shown the benefit of music therapy for short-term pain, including pain from cancer. Some studies have suggested that music may help decrease the overall intensity of the patient’s experience of pain when used with pain-relieving drugs. Music therapy can also result in a decreased need for pain medicine in some patients, although studies on this topic have shown mixed results.
In hospice patients, one study found that music therapy improved comfort, relaxation, and pain control. Another study found that quality of life improved in cancer patients who received music therapy, even as it declined in those who did not. No differences were seen in survival between the 2 groups.
A more recent clinical trial looked at the effects of music during the course of several weeks of radiation treatments. The researchers found that while emotional distress (such as anxiety) seemed to be helped at the beginning of treatment, the patients reported that this effect gradually decreased. Music did not appear to help such symptoms as pain, fatigue, and depression over the long term.
Other clinical trials have revealed a reduction in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, insomnia, depression, and anxiety with music therapy. No one knows all the ways music can benefit the body, but studies have shown that music can affect brain waves, brain circulation, and stress hormones. These effects are usually seen during and shortly after the music therapy.
Studies have shown that students who take music lessons have improved IQ levels, and show improvement in nonmusical abilities as well. Other studies have shown that listening to music composed by Mozart produces a short-term improvement in tasks that use spatial abilities. Studies of brain circulation have shown that people listening to Mozart have more activity in certain areas of the brain. This has been called the “Mozart effect.” Although the reasons for this effect are not completely clear, this kind of information supports the idea that music can be used in many helpful ways.
Some clinical trials that involve listening to music have shown no benefit on anxiety during surgical procedures, although one study that allowed patients to choose their own music showed improved anxiety levels. One recent review of studies looked at the effect of music on all types of pain and found a wide variation in its effects. The study authors observed that the best effects were on short-term pain after surgery. It is important to note that not all studies of music use music therapists, who assess the patient’s needs, circumstances, and preferences, as well as the different effects of certain types of music. This may account for some differences in clinical trial results.
Are there any possible problems or complications?
In general, music therapy done under the care of a professionally trained therapist has a helpful effect and is considered safe when used with standard treatment. Musical intervention by untrained people can be ineffective or can even cause increased stress and discomfort. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences.
References
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Cepeda MS, Carr DB, Lau J, Alvarez H. Music for pain relief. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006;(2):CD004843.
Clark M, Isaacks-Downton G, Wells N, et al. Use of preferred music to reduce emotional distress and symptom activity during radiation therapy. J Music Ther. 2006;43:247-265.
Ezzone S, Baker C, Rosselet R, Terepka E. Music as an adjunct to antiemetic therapy. Oncol Nurs Forum. 1998;25:1551-1556.
Hilliard RE. The effects of music therapy on the quality and length of life of people diagnosed with terminal cancer. J Music Ther. 2003;40:113-137.
Jausovec N, Habe K. The “Mozart effect”: an electroencephalographic analysis employing the methods of induced event-related desynchronization/synchronization and event-related coherence. Brain Topogr. 2003;16:73-84.
Krout RE. The effects of single-session music therapy interventions on the observed and self-reported levels of pain control, physical comfort, and relaxation of hospice patients. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2001;18:383-390.
Lane D. Music therapy: a gift beyond measure. Oncol Nurs Forum. 1992;19:863-867.
Lane D. Music therapy: gaining an edge in oncology management. J Oncol Manag. 1993;2:42-46.
Pelletier CL. The effect of music on decreasing arousal due to stress: a meta-analysis. J Music Ther. 2004;41:192-214.
Phumdoung S, Good M. Music reduces sensation and distress of labor pain. Pain Manag Nurs. 2003;4:54-61.
Schellenberg EG. Music and nonmusical abilities. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2001;930:355-371.
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By Randy Dotinga | HealthDay Reporter | May 15, 2008
WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) — Italian researchers have some advice for those with high blood pressure: Breathe slowly. Turn on some quiet, rhythmic music. And watch your high blood pressure take a little tumble.
The researchers base their conclusions on a small new study. But they aren’t suggesting anyone turn to breathing exercises and music instead of medicine.
Still, “easy and enjoyable daily music listening combined with slow abdominal breathing may help people naturally lower their blood pressure,” said Dr. Pietro A. Modesti, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Florence.
In what’s touted as the first study of its kind, Modesti and his colleagues recruited 48 patients to study the effect of listening to music on blood pressure. The patients, who ranged in age from 60 to 76, all suffered from mild high blood pressure and took medication for it.
Of the patients, 28 listened to 30 minutes of classical, Celtic or raga music a day while conducting slow, controlled deep-breathing exercises. (Raga, an ancient kind of music, was developed in India.)
All the music was slow and rhythmic.
Another 20 patients served as a control group and didn’t undergo the music and breathing therapy.
On average, the blood pressure among those who listened to music dropped by 3 mmHG at one week and 4 mmHG at one month, compared to people in the control group.
Doctors consider healthy blood pressure to be below 140/90 mmHG. High blood pressure — hypertension — is thought to affect one in three adult Americans, although many don’t realize they have it. The condition can lead to heart disease, kidney failure and stroke, among other problems.
The study authors also found that other non-drug “interventions” — including restriction of salt intake, exercise and limits on alcohol consumption — had about the same effect.
“Further studies are needed to confirm the effect in the long term,” Modesti said.
Researchers have previously found that relaxation can relieve people’s cardiovascular symptoms. But the researchers behind the new study discovered that relaxation significantly affected blood pressure only if it was combined with quiet music.
The findings were to be presented Wednesday at the American Society of Hypertension’s annual meeting, in New Orleans.
Modesti said the key appears to be the slow breathing that the patients engaged in during the study.
The findings are useful, he added, because they can complement existing treatments. “The side effects and cost of antihypertensive drugs have led to a consensus about the need for effective non-pharmacological treatment alone or adjunctive to drug therapy,” he said.
Dr. George Bakris, director of the hypertensive disorders unit at the University of Chicago, noted that the study only looked at people with mild high blood pressure.
In those patients, he said, it’s important to note that “this does not prevent hypertension, but helps to alleviate it.”
SOURCES: Pietro A. Modesti, M.D., Ph.D., professor, internal medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Florence, Italy; George Bakris, M.D., director, hypertensive disorders unit, University of Chicago; May 14, 2008, presentation, American Society of Hypertension annual meeting, New Orleans.
