For those who experience the unpleasantness of motion sickness, relief may be as simple as changing the soundtrack. While some individuals can comfortably read or use devices in moving vehicles, others find themselves battling nausea. Researchers have been exploring music as a potential remedy for carsickness, offering a drug-free alternative to conventional treatments that frequently enough cause drowsiness.

According to a statement by Qizong Yue, a researcher at Southwest University in China, “Motion sickness significantly impairs the travel experience for many individuals, and existing pharmacological interventions often carry side-effects such as drowsiness. music represents a non-invasive,low-cost,and personalized intervention strategy.”

The Sounds of Simulated Sickness

In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Yue and his team used a driving simulator to induce carsickness in participants. Thay then monitored the participants’ recovery while playing different types of music. The study revealed that soft and joyful music were the most effective in aiding recovery,while sad music proved to be less helpful than no music at all.

The research team divided 30 participants, all of whom reported experiencing moderate levels of carsickness in the past, into six groups. Four groups listened to music during their recovery, one group received no music, and the final group’s simulation was halted before they developed carsickness.

Each participant wore electroencephalogram (EEG) caps to measure brain activity. The goal was to identify brain signals associated with carsickness by comparing the neural activity of the first five groups to that of the sixth, which did not experience nausea.

The researchers initially recorded each participant’s EEG signals while they were stationary in the simulator. Subsequently, the participants engaged in a driving task and reported their level of carsickness. Following the task, some participants listened to music for 60 seconds.

Participants were then asked to rate their carsickness levels. Those who listened to joyful music reported a 57.3% reduction in carsickness, while soft music resulted in a 56.7% reduction, and passionate music led to a 48.3% reduction. The group that did not listen to music reported a 43.3% decrease in symptoms, while those who listened to sad music only experienced a 40% reduction.

The researchers theorize that soft music may alleviate tension that exacerbates carsickness,while joyful music could distract from the symptoms by activating the brain’s reward systems. Conversely, sad music might amplify negative emotions, thereby worsening discomfort.

“Based on our conclusions, individuals experiencing motion sickness symptoms during travel can listen to cheerful or gentle music to achieve relief,”

Brain Activity and motion Sickness

EEG data showed changes in the occipital lobe activity of participants’ brains when they reported feeling carsick.The device recorded less complex activity when participants felt significantly nauseous. As they recovered, brain activity in this area gradually returned to normal.

Yue suggests,”Based on our conclusions,individuals experiencing motion sickness symptoms during travel can listen to cheerful or gentle music to achieve relief.The primary theoretical frameworks for motion sickness genesis apply broadly to sickness induced by various vehicles. Therefore,the findings of this study likely extend to motion sickness experienced during air or sea travel.”

However, Yue also noted,”the primary limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size… This constraint results in limited statistical power.” He added that brain reactions to simulations might differ from real-life conditions, emphasizing the need for further research with larger samples to confirm these findings and explore the impact of music on motion sickness.

the research team plans to investigate different types of motion sickness and the influence of individual music preferences in future studies.