The Sedative Effects of Music Listening on Pain During Cold Pressor Test

Rawane El Dimachki40 enrolled

Overview

This study aims to understand whether listening to music can reduce pain and anxiety caused by a cold-temperature stimulus in healthy young adults (n = 30). It also seeks to identify which musical and neurocognitive factors can produce a calming, analgesic (reduce pain), and anxiolytic (reduce anxiety) effect. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does music based on universal musical features (such as melodic structure, modal scales, intervals, and tempo) help reduce pain and anxiety, regardless of culture or personal taste? * Does music that reflects the participant's cultural rhythmic background-especially rhythmic styles from the Levant-change how pain and anxiety are perceived during the cold test? * Does music selected according to each participant's personal listening habits and musical preferences have a sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic effect? * Are the calming effects of music the result of multiple combined factors-universal musical traits, cultural influences, and personal preferences-and how do these factors interact to create an overall therapeutic effect during the cold test? Participants will: * Take part in 1 session of 7 or 8 phases of cold pressor test * Give their feedback in a qualitative questionnaire after each phase * Answer brief questions about their musical background and preferences This study aims to deepen our understanding of how musical and neurocognitive elements contribute to the sedative effect of music during care situations, and to support the development of a more precise and personalized musical model for use in dental procedures.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Interventions

Phase 1 - Silence (Baseline)BEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo the cold pressor test in complete silence without any auditory stimulation. This baseline condition serves as a control for comparison with subsequent music conditions.

Phase 2 - Happy Mode with Measured RhythmBEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo the cold pressor test while listening to music characterized by a happy emotional mode and a regular, measured rhythmic structure.

Phase 3 - Sad Mode with Measured RhythmBEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo the cold pressor test while listening to music characterized by a sad emotional mode and a regular, measured rhythmic structure.

Phase 4 - Happy Mode with Non-Measured RhythmBEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo the cold pressor test while listening to music characterized by a happy emotional mode and a non-measured (free) rhythmic structure.

Phase 5 - Sad Mode with Non-Measured Rhythm Type: BehavioralBEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo the cold pressor test while listening to music characterized by a sad emotional mode and a non-measured (free or irregular) rhythmic structure.

Phase 6 - Participant-Selected from Predefined SetBEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo the cold pressor test while listening to a piece of music selected by themselves from a predefined set of musical options provided by the researchers.

Phase 7 - Silence (Post-Exposure)BEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo the cold pressor test in silence following prior experimental conditions. This control condition is included to assess potential changes in pain tolerance over time and to distinguish music effects from habituation or adaptation.

Phase 8 - Participant's Own ChoiceBEHAVIORAL

Optional intervention : participants undergo the cold pressor test while listening to a self-selected piece of music of their own choosing.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 35 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy volunteers aged 18 to 35 years. * Ability to provide written informed consent. * Willingness to comply with the study protocol and attend the session. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants with acute or chronic pain. * Participants with a history of cardiovascular disorders. * Participants currently taking analgesic medications. * Participants with a recent wound on either hand. * Participants with a history of hand fracture. * Participants with dermatological conditions affecting the hand. * Participants with a history of frostbite. * Participants currently taking neuropsychiatric medications. * Participants able to keep their hand immersed for 4 minutes during the silence (control) phase of the cold pressor test.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pain Tolerance Duration

Pain tolerance will be measured as the total duration (in seconds) that participants are able to keep their hand immersed in cold water during each phase. A stopwatch will be used to record immersion time.

Time frame: Within a single study session (approximately 90 minutes); measured (from hand immersion to withdrawal) during 8 distinct cold pressor test phases, with each phase lasting up to a maximum of 4 minutes.

Secondary Outcomes

Reaction Time to Pain

The time elapsed between the onset of hand immersion in cold water and the participant's first reported perception of pain will be recorded. This measure provides insight into how musical conditions may influence the temporal perception of pain onset.

Time frame: Within a single study session (approximately 90 minutes); measured from initial hand immersion to the onset of pain perception during each of the 8 distinct cold pressor test phases (each phase lasting a maximum of 4 minutes).

Pain Intensity

Pain intensity is assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where participants rate their perceived pain during each phase of the cold pressor test. The scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 represents "no pain" and 10 represents "the worst possible pain."

Time frame: Within a single study session (approximately 90 minutes); assessed continuously during 8 distinct cold pressor test phases, with each phase lasting up to 4 minutes.

Qualitative Feedback

A study-specific, 15-item multi-dimensional questionnaire designed to evaluate participants' subjective experience across: 1. Pain and Anxiety Perception (e.g., categorical rating from "Mild" to "Intense"). 2. Emotional Response to Music (e.g., 5-point scale from "Very Relaxed" to "Anxious"). 3. Music Preference and Familiarity (e.g., selection of preferred musical mode). 4. Cumulative Experience (e.g., comparative assessment of pain tolerance). For the scaled items (such as Question 7: "Effect of music on pain level"), scores range from 1 (No effect) to 5 (Very significant effect), where higher scores indicate a better outcome (greater perceived music effectiveness). Qualitative open-ended responses regarding emotional tone and rhythm are collected to provide contextual depth to the physiological data.

Time frame: Within a single study session (approximately 90 minutes); assessed after each of the 8 cold pressor test phases (each phase lasting a maximum of 4 minutes) and at the conclusion of the session.