In the experiments, 30 participants underwent a driving simulation where they were made to feel car sickness while wearing an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap. This allowed researchers to read the brain activity of the volunteers in real-time as they transitioned from a stable state to motion sickness and gradually back again, according to a journal publication.
The participants were divided into six groups; four groups listened to music for a minute after the nausea-inducing drive, another group practiced meditation, and the last group did nothing. Calm music was the next best type, alleviating symptoms by 13.4 percent compared to the meditation group. Interestingly, one type of music reduced nausea at a worse rate than simply waiting for car sickness feelings to pass, as sad music seems to make recovery more difficult.
However, the results align with other studies that have found music can change how we feel, for better or worse. Previous studies have also shown that a favorite tune can reduce symptoms of visually induced motion sickness or cybersickness from virtual reality devices and may even help with excessive alcohol consumption. But while some research suggests that sad music can improve mood and make us feel good, it may have the opposite effect in certain scenarios.
