CAN ANTISTRESS MUSIC TAPES REDUCE MENTAL STRESS

The effects of so-called antistress music tapes on reduction of mental stress were examined using Cox and Mackay's SACL, Japanese edition (J-SACL). Fifty-two subjects were exposed to experimentally induced stressful situations and the J-SACL was administered before and after this stress exposure. The results indicated that: (1) music tapes in general could reduce both the stress and arousal factors of the J-SACL; (2) however, differential effects in stress reduction of antistress music tapes were not demonstrated; (3) stress-reducing effects were more prominent in stress than in arousal factors.