MUSIC TO OUR EARS
Ambient
anthem relaxes women more than massage or Mozart
In just 48 hours, over 5,000 cash-strapped British women have
turned to ‘Weightless’ a new sound sensation in a bid to save money on
expensive spa treatments that help them unwind at the end of the day.
It comes as a shocking new report** reveals 86% of Brits
admit to feeling stressed out every day. As a result, two thirds of women are
forking out £20 for a massage, despite the nation facing financial hardship.
‘Weightless’ a specially-designed ambient track by
body and mind therapy experts Radox Spa is scientifically proven to be more
relaxing than having a massage or listening to tunes by Adele, Mozart and
Enya*.
Weightless uses specific rhythms, tones, frequencies
and intervals to relax the listener. A continuous rhythm of 60 BPM causes the
brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm: a process known as
‘entrainment’. Low underlying bass tones relax the listener and a low whooshing
sound with a trance-like quality takes the listener into an even deeper state of
calm.
The eight-minute track is free to download at www.facebook.com/radox and was created
by ambient musicians Marconi Union in consultation with the UK’s Lyz Cooper,
founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy.
Scientists at Mindlab International, an independent research
consultancy based at the Sussex Innovation Centre,
tested subjects to record the subconscious physical responses to
listening to Weightless versus other music and having massages.
The effect of the activities on heart rate, respiration and
skin conduction concluded that listening to Weightless had a much more
relaxing effect than listening to conventionally ‘relaxing’ music by Adele,
Enya, Coldplay, Moby and Mozart.
Top ten most relaxing tracks
- Marconi Union – Weightless
- Airstream – Electra
- DJ Shah – Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix)
- Enya – Watermark
- Coldplay – Strawberry Swing
- Barcelona – Please Don’t Go
- All Saints – Pure Shores
- Adele – Someone Like You
- Mozart – Canzonetta Sull’aria
- Café Del Mar – We Can Fly
Mindlab’s Dr David Lewis, one of the UK’s leading stress
specialists and author of the best selling One Minute Stress Manager,
said: “The results clearly show that the track ‘Weightless’ induced the
greatest relaxation – higher than the massage or any of the other music tested.
The study confirmed that the Radox Spa track Weightless has the power to
soothe frazzled minds and relax stressed bodies.
“Brain imaging studies have shown that music works at a very
deep level within the brain, stimulating not only those regions responsible for
processing sound but also ones associated with emotions. So the next time you
need to relax, there’s no need to comfort eat a chocolate bar or book a spa
retreat. Just put on the right piece of music, such as Weightless, sit
back in the bath or a comfortable chair, close your eyes and chill out to the
soothing beat.”
Lyz Cooper, the UK’s leading therapeutic sound practitioner,
who collaborated with Marconi Union on the track said: “What distinguishes
Weightless from other music is the use of therapeutic sound. Many
musicians and composers intuitively use therapeutic elements in their music
every day, but when you put many of these elements together it is possible to
create music that has an extremely relaxing effect on people – as confirmed in
the tests.”
Richard Talbot from Marconi Union said: “We were really
interested in this project because of the scientific nature of it. Our music
tends to be very relaxing but working with Lyz, the sound therapist, helped us
to understand the science behind some of the techniques that we intuitively use
when making music. It was fascinating to have the physiological responses to the
music tested in a laboratory.”
Cassie Shuttlewood, brand manager for Radox Spa said: “Most
of us feel stressed every day, but Radox understands that it’s not necessary to
spend hundreds of pounds on massages, spa weekends and yoga retreats in order to
relax, which is why we designed Radox Spa, a way to get that Spa feeling at
home. As the research shows, just spending eight minutes listening to
Weightless can have a profound effect on our stress levels. We created
the track and the Radox Spa range to give everyone a little bit of ‘spa’ in
their day.”
Radox Spa is a range of
spa-inspired products that enable you to enjoy the tension-easing, mind and body
benefits of a deeply relaxing spa treatment in the comfort of your home. The
range has been expertly blended with natural ingredients to create rich shower
and bath creams, purifying body washes and exfoliating scrubs, promising to
deliver caring results for your body and mind.
The Radox Spa range is available to purchase nationwide in
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and selected supermarkets with a RRP of £2.21.
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