Music may be the new painkiller: study tests tunes against cold water pain

NCT ID NCT07515196

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether listening to different types of music can reduce pain and anxiety from a cold water challenge in 40 healthy young adults. Participants immersed their hand in cold water while in silence or while listening to music with different emotional tones and rhythms. The goal is to find which musical features—universal, cultural, or personal—work best to calm pain, with hopes of using personalized music in dental care.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
music listening
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a simple, drug-free way to ease pain and anxiety during medical procedures like dental work.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study in healthy volunteers, not patients. The pain is from cold water, not real medical pain, so results may not apply to clinical settings.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Antonine University

    Baabda, Lebanon