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Certain types of music can help people feel less pain, according to a new study.

Earlier this week, the study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research, highlighted that listening to favorite songs can reduce an individual's perception of pain.

The study gathered 63 healthy young adult participants at the Roy pain laboratory at McGill University in Canada, where researchers used a device to heat an area on their left arm that created a sensation that researchers described as being similar to a hot cup of coffee being held against their skin.

As the device heated their skin, the participants listened to either two of their favorite songs, relaxing music selected for them, scrambled music or silence. As the selected track played, the study participants were then asked to rate the "intensity and unpleasantness" of the pain.

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In their findings, researchers discovered that participants rated the pain as less intense when listening to their favorite tracks, as compared to when they listened to silence or scrambled sounds.

Relaxing music selected for them, meanwhile, did not produce a similar less intense effect, according to the study.

“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 under the same conditions," Darius Valevicius, one of the study's authors said, per The Guardian.

Valevicius added that emotional or "moving" music may have potentially had "an even stronger effect" on those who participated in the study.

New research from Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has found that hot yoga can reduce symptoms of depression by 50 percent or more.

Weekly hot yoga over eight weeks helped people reduce their depressive symptoms, allowing 44 percent of people in the study to be considered in remission from their depression.

The randomized clinical trial included 80 participants with moderate to severe depression. Researchers divided the participants into two groups. One group was prescribed at least two 90-minute hot yoga sessions weekly. The other group was put on a waiting list. On average, the yoga participants attended ten yoga classes over the eight weeks.

About two-thirds of the yoga group reported a significant decrease in their depression, compared to 6.3 percent in the waitlist group.

What could cause hot yoga to have such a powerful antidepressant?

Hot yoga combines three potentially therapeutic components: 1) mind-body connection, 2) physical exercise and movement, and 3) heat.

1. Enhancing a mind-body connection through a regular mind-body practice can Improve mood. Many styles of yoga, including gentle, non-heated Hatha yoga, have evidence supporting an antidepressant effect. Yoga, a form of moving meditation, is one of many types of mind-body practices that allows people to become more aware and live in their body, enhancing a sense of embodiment. Other mind-body practices include breathwork, tai chi, meditation, and daily mindfulness. The mind-body connection is like a muscle—the more regularly you practice, the stronger it gets.

2. Physical exercise and movement have a powerful antidepressant effect. Physical exercise has been shown to be a powerful treatment for depression in several randomized clinical trials. Exercise can reduce the core symptoms of depression, including depressed mood and inability to enjoy things. Exercise also promotes better sleep and appetite.

3. Heat therapies have promising healing power for mental health. Hot yoga refers to yoga styles typically practiced in a heated studio space with temperatures ranging from 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. A 2015 study from the American Council of Exercise found that Bikram yoga can raise core temperatures to 103 degrees.

The potential healing power of heat therapies for mental health is a concept that warrants ongoing research. Heat therapies have growing data to suggest they should be considered as part of a complementary approach to depression treatment. Frequent hot sauna bathing has been associated with a reduced risk for depression and, interestingly, a reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Passive heat therapies, like Waon therapy, infrared saunas, and whole-body hyperthermia, have been shown to reduce stress and Improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

For beginners, safety considerations should be examined before starting hot yoga. Hydration is important, and also knowing that you can lie down, take a resting shape like child's pose, or leave the room if you are feeling nauseous, lightheaded, or confused in class. Hot yoga and passive heat therapies may be contraindicated with certain medical issues, such as conditions that restrict sweating, hyperextension or hypermobility issues, and pregnancy.

If hot yoga feels like it would be too strenuous to try, there are many other types of gentler, unheated yoga, such as chair yoga, Hatha yoga, restorative yoga, and yin yoga. Other accessible options include mind-body practices that can be done at home, such as meditation, tai chi, yoga breathwork, and mindful walking.

For more research on the mental health benefits of yoga, read The Harvard Medical School Guide to Yoga.

Marlynn Wei, MD, PLLC © Copyright 2023

Have a challenging goal ahead? Some anger could help you achieve it, according to new research.

For the study, published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers analyzed the role of anger in different scenarios, including a variety of challenges and a survey. One experiment, for example, focused on participants' completion of word puzzles after being shown images designed to elicit specific emotional responses.  

Across all the experiments, researchers found anger improved the participants' ability to reach challenging goals compared to a neutral emotional condition. In some cases, anger was associated with higher scores or faster response times — while in one experiment, they found, it increased the rate of cheating to win prizes.

Anger did not, however, seem to Improve outcomes when the goals were easier instead of challenging. In certain experiments, amusement or desire were also associated with increased goal attainment, but anger was associated with increased success across the board.

"People often believe that a state of happiness is ideal, and the majority of people consider the pursuit of happiness a major life goal," lead author Heather Lench, a professor at Texas A&M University, said in a news release. "The view that positive emotion is ideal for mental health and well-being has been prominent in lay and psychological accounts of emotion, but previous research suggests that a mix of emotions, including negative emotions like anger, result in the best outcomes."

Researchers also analyzed survey data collected from the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections, where people were asked how angry they'd be if their candidate didn't win. Though it had no effect on who they voted for, those who said they would be angry were more likely to vote in the election. 

"These findings demonstrate that anger increases effort toward attaining a desired goal, frequently resulting in greater success," Lench said.

Nicholette Leanza, a licensed professional clinical counselor with mental health care company LifeStance Health, who was not involved in the study, told CBS News that the findings didn't surprise her. 

"Often with my own clients, I've noticed when they move from being sad about something that didn't happen for them to feeling angry about it, they're more likely to take action to make things better for themselves," she said. "Their anger about the situation is the motivator behind moving them forward."

Alyssa Mairanz, owner and executive director of Empower Your Mind Therapy, who was also not involved in the study, explained how emotions can be strong motivators.

"In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) we like to look at emotions as neither good nor bad; they are the reality," she says. "In DBT we also talk about emotions having three main functions: Emotions can communicate to and influence others; they can organize and motivate for action, which is what the study showed; and they can be self-validating and indicators of our needs."

While any emotion, including anger, is valid, Mairanz says, they should be used as guidance on how to proceed — but this can be done effectively or ineffectively.

"Impulsively acting on an emotion can lead to negative consequences if we don't act in our best interests," she says. "Anger is an especially risky emotion because it tends to be the one where people act most impulsively. Acting on anger without thought can cause someone to lash out verbally or even physically. Generally, that is not the most effective action in the situation."

Even if anger can help with certain goals, prolonged states or intense bouts of it can be unhealthy for your mind and body. It has also been linked to mental health challenges including depression.

"As we can see from the study, anger can be a motivator. But if a person stays angry for extended periods of time, that is not helpful or healthy at all," Leanza says. "We often say anger turned inward is depression, and we definitely see this when people struggle to manage their anger over long periods of time. So, anger can be positive for short blasts of motivation, but long periods of it can really turn a person toxic."

And because of the connection between brain and body, anger can also impact our physical health.

"Like other emotions, (anger) is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline," according to the American Psychological Association.