There are few situations that can’t be made better with the right music.
There’s a new experiment underway that’s going to see whether music playlists and some stress-sensing technology can help people who are trying to stay sober.
You might say stress is the real focus of the study, because it’s one of the big reasons why people with alcohol use disorder might relapse.
That’s why you might hear people at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting use sayings like “take it one day at a time” and “this, too, shall pass.”
It’s all about heading off a person’s impulse to pick up a drink if they’re having a really hard day.
Researchers from Washington State University, Arizona State University and the University of Southern California are testing ways to intervene before stress might prompt someone to relapse.
During the experiment, participants will wear wristbands that measure heart rate and other markers that, together, can signal higher levels of stress.
They can also press a special button whenever they feel stressed.
Then, the researchers and the subjects will work together to build playlists full of calm music.
These would be personalized, since we all like the music we like and have our own ideas of what kinds of music are calming.
When a wristband recognizes that its wearer’s stress level is spiking, it would prompt the participant’s phone to start playing the calming music.
The researchers will measure whether that helps the individual get through the stressful moment without picking up a drink; in that case, the playlists might even be designed to switch to more neutral music as time passes.
The study is set to run for two years; the hope is that this could lead to a low-cost and effective intervention that could work alongside other recovery approaches and head off alcohol-related relapses.
If nothing else, people will get to put together some good playlists.
Starting tomorrow in Marshall, Texas, it’s the Fire Ant Festival.
This might seem like a head-scratcher, seeing as how health officials actually offer tips on how to stay safe if a “festival” of fire ants breaks out near you.
But this is actually just a community party they’ve held each year since 1982; the community named it for fire ants mostly just to get people’s attention.
And clearly that strategy worked.
Studying music and technology to reduce stress, alcohol relapse (Washington State University)
