According to Loudwire, new studies suggest that music can evoke an emotional response to reduce pain. The new study, conducted by Canadian researcher Darius Valevicius, concluded that listening to music, more specifically “chill-inducing music” can help reduce pain and may be effective as pain-relieving medication.

There have also been other studies related to music and how it evokes physiological effects on its listener. The effect of music is also called “frisson.” However, studies from Discovery concluded that not many people experience frisson. Furthermore, studies from Oxford Academic show that “only about 50 percent of people will either get chills, goosebumps or a lump in their throat while listening to music.” Consequently, they are able to experience more intense emotions than those who do not experience “frisson.”

Darius Valevicius also detailed his studies on 63 participants at McGill University, located in Montreal, Canada. To further allow him to complete his study, the researcher also used a device to heat a specific area of his participants’ left arms. Valevicius also discussed his findings, saying: “We can approximate that favorite music reduced pain by about one point on a 10-point scale, which is at least as strong as an over-the-counter painkiller like Advil [ibuprofen] under the same conditions. Moving music may have an even stronger effect.”

According to Loudwire, the participants who partook in Valevicius’s study either listened to two of their favorite songs, or listened to a more “relaxing” or a song that was randomly chosen for them. Some did not listen to any songs. However, all of the participants were required to use the heating device and to rate the pain they experienced while listening to the songs provided.

As a result of Valevicius’s study, the participants concluded that they experienced less pain when prompted to listen to their favorite songs. There was no effect on their pain on more relaxing songs.