With another lockdown in full swing, many of us have been feeling more anxious and stressed than usual. Studies have shown a direct correlation between stress and hair loss in men, so hair transplant specialists at Veraclinic.net wanted to find out how effective music was at reducing anxiety, and which genre helped the most.

These are the results that they came up:

• Techno is the genre least effective at reducing anxiety, with 78% of respondents reporting an increase in blood pressure when listening to it

• Channel 4 drama It’s a Sin 80’s pop playlist reduced anxiety the most, with respondents’ heart rates decreasingby 36% on average when listening
• 96% of respondents also reported a decrease in blood pressure when listening to the It’s a Sin playlist

• Classical music is often thought to be relaxing, however the Bridgerton series classical music soundtrack was neither the least nor the most anxiety reducing, with respondents’ heart rates decreasing by 15% on average – earning it its place halfway down the table
• Heavy metal was found to be the second most effective at reducing anxiety, with 89% of respondents reporting a decrease in their blood pressure and respondents heart rates decreasing by an average of 18% with the likes of Metallica playing in the background

High blood pressure and heart rate are associated with higher levels of stress and anxiety. Veraclinic.net tasked 1,540 volunteers (aged 18-65) with completing non-verbal reasoning tests which were specifically designed to produce low levels of stress.  Participants were given a soundtrack to listen to at the same time, made up of varying Spotify playlists. Participants were fitted with heart rate and blood pressure monitors and asked to record their stats throughout the experiment.