Let's be honest: the past year has clearly been a time of heightened anxiety for you, me and pretty much everyone we know.
During such times of stress and heightened anxiety, many of us turn to music to alleviate our anxious feelings and distract us from the world - but if you'd been reaching for chill out soundtracks or soothing classical records, a new study suggests you're listening to the wrong kind of music.
In fact, the study by Turkish hair restoration company Vera Clinic (the study aimed to find a link between music, stress, and hair loss) suggests that pop from the 1980s and heavy metal were the best at reducing your blood pressure.
They surveyed 1,540 people between the ages of 18 and 65, playing them various kinds of Spotify playlists as they were given non-verbal tests designed to be mildly stressful. When a playlist for TV show 'It's a Sin' was played (which features a variety of '80s pop songs), there was a a 36% decrease in heart rate and a 96% reduction in blood pressure amongst respondents.
A playlist called 'Heavy Metal Classics' showed similar results - an average of 18% decrease in heart rate and 89% reduction in blood pressure.
On the flip side, the worst genre at reducing stress was techno; respondents showed an average heart rate increase of 7% and an average blood pressure increase of 78%.
So when you're feeling wound up, reach for Metallica and '80s pop classics, in other words.
