World's most relaxing music

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049948/Most-relaxing-song-UK-band-Boffins.html

MARCONI UNION - "WEIGHTLESS" (right click this link to download, 'save link as')

...OR Listen here:
http://soundcloud.com/justmusiclabel/marconi-union-weightless/s-kttxT

http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/136897-music-relaxing-a-massage-mozart.html


From the article:

The music that's more relaxing than a massage or Mozart‏
The one chart that Adele hasn’t topped this year Ambient track relaxes women more than massage, Mozart or Adele
October 16, 2011

The music that's more relaxing than a massage or Mozart‏
‘Weightless’ a specially-designed ambient track by Marconi Union is scientifically proven to be more relaxing than having a massage or listening to tunes by Adele, Mozart, Coldplay and more*.

In just 48 hours, almost 5000 cash-strapped British women have turned to ‘Weightless’ in a bid to save money on expensive spa treatments that help them unwind.

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 for Radox Spa by ambient musicians Marconi Union in consultation with the UK’s Lyz Cooper, founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy. The track forms part of the Spa Therapy album, which includes exclusive tracks by Honeyroot, Echaskech, Laki Mera and Digitonal and is free to download from the Facebook page.

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.”

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

1. Marconi Union – Weightless
2. Airstream – Electra
3. DJ Shah – Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix)
4. Enya – Watermark
5. Coldplay – Strawberry Swing
6. Barcelona – Please Don’t Go
7. All Saints – Pure Shores
8. Adele – Someone Like You
9. Mozart – Canzonetta Sull’aria
10. 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: “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.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.”

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.”

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.” The Radox Spa range is available to purchase nationwide in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and selected supermarkets with a RRP of £2.21.