STRESS-NO-MORE! BACKGROUND: Music has a soothing power. Its unique connection to human emotion is profound. Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on the human mind and body. Studies show listening to Classical music in particular can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones. Music both acts as a distraction, and allows the mind to explore and discover new things. Stress level has been shown to have a direct correlation to heart rate and blood pressure. Testing heart rate after increased activity is a good way to understand the effect stress has on the body. OBJECTIVE: Presently, students in America are becoming more and more stressed because of the increased competition in the educational arena. Therefore, Americans must find ways to decrease the stress level of American students. HYPOTHESIS: Listening to certain types of music will decrease the student’s heart rate (stress level) after engaging in physical activity. DURATION: Approximately 50 minutes SET-UP TIME: 15 minutes EXPERIMENT’S RUN TIME: 30 minutes TAKE-DOWN TIME: 5 minutes MATERIALS: -
Device to Play Music (1) Music Stopwatch (1) Student Data Table/Sheet (print one for every student) Class Data Table/Sheet (1) Writing Utensil (one for every student)
PROCEDURE: [Teacher notes in brackets] Day One: Prep 1. [Ask the students which type of music they think will relax them (reduce pulse) the most (or just which ones they want to test).] 2. [Teach the kids how to take pulse. Here’s a link to a Youtube video if you have Internet access: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gbVAHcYpzI ] Practice measuring pulse. 3. Select two other genres/songs, in addition to classical. [Gather all three songs so that they are ready to be played in the classroom/gym. If you do not have the Page 1 of 3 Created By: Conner Clark, Austin Cooper, William Braem, and Meaghan Pollizi Coppell High School Anatomy 2011
music already, download them from an accessible media source. If you do not have a computer or Internet access, use CDs.] Day Two: Test 4. Measure pulse and record it in the student data table (normal pulse rate). [Again, just make sure everyone is doing it right.] 5. Run around the gym for a minute. [Make sure that they are running.] 6. Measure pulse for 30 seconds and record it in a data table. 7. Sit down and listen to one of the chosen songs for five minutes (loop if need be). [Make sure they are not moving while they are listening to the music.] 8. Measure pulse for 30 seconds and record it in the data table. [Make a data table beforehand to be ready for the class to input their data.] 9. Repeat steps 2-5 for the remaining two songs. FIGURES, TABLES, PHOTOS (optional): [List them here] Class Data Table: [**have each student record their own data in the student data table (second table below), and then compile every student’s data together, take the average, and put it in this class data table] (Class Name) Normal Song Name/Genre Pulse Rate (bpm)
Pulse Rate After Running (bpm)
Pulse After Listening to Music (bpm)
Classical: (Name of Song) Choice #1: (Name of Song) Choice #2: (Name of Song)
Student Data Table: Page 2 of 3 Created By: Conner Clark, Austin Cooper, William Braem, and Meaghan Pollizi Coppell High School Anatomy 2011
(Student’s Name) Normal Song Name/Genre Pulse
Pulse Rate After Running (bpm)
Pulse After Listening to Music (bpm)
Classical: (Name of Song) Choice #1: (Name of Song) Choice #2: (Name of Song)
DATA ANALYSIS: 1. Which genres of music reduced the pulse rate the most? Why is this? 2. How could listening to music help people reduce stress in the real world? Give examples. 3. Which music genre resulted in a higher pulse rate? Why is this? 4. What are some other ways people can reduce stress? Give examples. 5. Why are people so stressed in today’s world? CONCLUSIONS: When listening to music after running the subject’s heart rate changes according to the type of song. The effect of music will vary depending on the subject tested.
Page 3 of 3 Created By: Conner Clark, Austin Cooper, William Braem, and Meaghan Pollizi Coppell High School Anatomy 2011