Development and Initial Validation of the Music for Stress Alleviation (MUSA) Playlists

The capacity of music to alleviate stress has been the subject of extensive research. Yet, findings from laboratory studies remain inconsistent, which has been linked to heterogeneity of the music stimuli used. To address the need for standardized, pre-tested music stimuli, we developed the Music for Stress Alleviation (MUSA) playlists and conducted an initial validation of their effectiveness. Six playlists were curated for stress reduction, containing instrumental music with a low tempo, low arousal, and neutral to positive valence, and representing various genres (piano, ambient, jazz, lounge, guitar, and lo-fi). Sixty healthy female participants were assigned to one of the six playlists. Pre- and post-listening, we measured participants’ affective states using the Relaxed Positive Affect (RPA) and Safe/Content Positive Affect (SCPA) scales of the Types of Positive Affect Scale, and the Good-Bad and Calm-Nervous dimensions of the Multidimensional Mood State Questionnaire. All playlists led to significantly increased RPA (medium-to-large effect sizes), while a subset also enhanced SCPA, Calm, and Good mood. Participants rated the playlists as highly relaxing. These findings provide initial evidence of the effectiveness of the MUSA playlists for music-induced stress relief. Further studies in larger and stressed samples are needed to confirm and expand on these findings.