A new study suggests listening to classical composers can lower heart rate and blood pressure – but ABBA is not so helpful.

Can music really soothe the savage beast? New research suggests that listening to the music of Mozart and Johann Strauss can lower both heart rate and blood pressure. The study was conducted by Hans-Joachim Trappe und Gabriele Voit of Ruhr University Bochum and published in the journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt International under the title The Cardiovascular Effect of Musical Genres.

Trappe and Voit measured the effect on 60 participants of listening to 25 minutes of music by either Mozart, the waltz king Johann Strauss, or Europop legends ABBA. This was compared with a control group of 60 people who enjoyed 25 minutes of silence. All of the participants had their blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol concentration measured before and after the session.

Representing the Classical period was Mozart’s popular Symphony No 40 in G Minor, KV550 and representing the Romantic era were various dances by Strauss, including An der Schönen Blauen Donau (The Blue Danube Waltz). For the 20th-century, a suite of songs by Swedish band ABBA was used, including Thank You for the Music...