Does Soothing Music Make For Weight Loss?

October 16, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

How many of you have breakfast while listening to Megadeath?

Nope? No one? Of course not. In fact, most of us don’t pop on Pandora for any of our meals. (Unless we’re setting the mood for our dude, obvi.) Usually, we either chat with whoever we’ve dragged out for pho or we spend the entire meal hunting through our “trending now” row of movie options (before resorting to YouTube). We don’t think of music when we think of food. And that’s why I found it super interesting when I encountered a study done on the effect of music on eating. As you’d expect, subjects munched more healthily when the music level was low, and they faceplanted into their plates at more deafening decibel levels, ingesting everything.

Case in point: think of every eating establishment you’ve ever gone to that does decent business. Is there low and lovely music playing? No. Wegman’s has annoyingly noisy chart toppers playing all the time. (And their $45 power bars still fly off the shelves.) The bars and dance clubs rake in insane amounts of dough while deafening you. Oh, and let’s not even get started on the Starbucks in which I’m currently sitting. I’ve got headphones in (the auditory corridor plugging sort), yet I still can’t cancel out these speakers blaring terrible music. And it’s like the volume makes people forget that they can buy that same oatmeal next door at Food Lion for a quarter of the price. It makes them stop caring about the blood clogging quality of that croissant they opted to buy last minute. I’ve been here for two hours and I’ve seen it. This intolerable din makes everyone throw caution to the wind.

(Including yours truly, who walked in with weight loss friendly intentions and left double fisting sugary drinks)

(“Look.Whatchoo.Made.Me.Do.Look.Whatchoo.Made.Me.Do…”)

So, what’s the bottom line?

Well, while the fitness magazine I read about this in suggested to listen to soothing music while we cook or shop, there are bigger implications here. To me, this study is about more than music. It’s about stress and triggers. Given the fact that loud music does heighten anxiety and excitement, it makes sense that loud playing tracks might make us a bit more reckless. That’s totally fair. I mean, think about the stuff you usually do to loud music. Maybe you work out. Maybe you rock out. Maybe you chop to pieces a gift from your ex with an ax with Deftones on full blast. And, if that music’s fueling your HAM mode for those activities, why wouldn’t you do the same for snacktivities when actual ham’s in front of you? You would. The rise in your vibes makes you wanna dispel that energy somehow. But the answer’s not necessarily melodies at a lower level. The trick, instead, might be to just de-stress in general. Maybe you include a dose of meditation pre-meal. (Much like some folks say prayers – except that meditation is scientifically proven to cause cognitive calming). Maybe you make sure your cinematic selections don’t stress you out. Or (here’s a biggie), take care that the company you keep while dining isn’t anxiety inducing. (Anyone else treat carbs like barbiturates at holiday family gatherings? Where it’s both loud and stressful?)

(“You guys go ahead and fight while I self soothe with empty calories in the closet…”)

So, what’s the takeaway?

It’s likely less about bumping Barry White while ya bake, and more about enjoying meals peacefully.

So, to lessen stress and get slimmer, just simmer down as supper simmers on the stove.