Researchers Say That Listening To Music While Driving Is Actually Saving Your Life. But How?

This article is sponsored by Honda.

Image via Shutterstock

Are you the type of person that prefers driving in the still and quiet, or do you enjoy blasting your favourite tunes to keep you company while on the road? If you belong in the latter category, you’ll be glad to know that this habit is not just a form of entertainment. It’s actually saving your life.

Long drives may be therapeutic but driving in the city is not as therapeutic as it sounds. You get stuck in bad traffic and things may go wrong on the road, which can cause your heart to race and blood pressure to increase. This kind of stress from your daily commute can take a toll on your body in the long run.

Driving can cause cardiac stres

In fact, driving stress can lead to life-threatening health problems, like heart disease and heart attack. When someone is caught in a stressful situation, the sympathetic nervous system releases catecholamines (namely adrenaline and noradrenaline) in the blood, which increases cardiac demand, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Image via Shutterstock

When this happens, people with cardiovascular risks—such as those with obesity, diabetes, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels—are more susceptible to sudden death caused by stress. Hence one of the first lines of defence you can put up is to play some music while you’re driving.

Playing music in the car can reduce stress

According to a study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine, researchers found that the stress from driving in traffic was reduced when they played instrumental music in the background. People became more relaxed when they drove despite the intense setting, like during rush hour.

Since driving stress is considered a significant risk for sudden heart complications, there is scientific evidence to support the theory that listening to music while driving can be an effective method to promote cardiovascular health.

How people engage with music while driving

In a separate study published in the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychomusicology: Music, Mind and Brain, over 80% of young adult respondents said that it was almost impossible to stay focused on the road without listening to music. Most of them also revealed that they will stay in the car until the end of the song despite having reached their destination.

Image via Shutterstock

Based on the survey, almost all of them (97%) would play many short songs during long trips, while 65% of them listen to fast-paced music while driving to work.

Classical or instrumental music is the most effective

When it comes to music genre, the best type of music to bring you to a more relaxed state is classical or instrumental music. The content or language in the song can also impact different individuals differently.

So whenever you get agitated, annoyed or stressed out while driving, keep calm by playing some slow and soothing music. If you can, play something without any lyrics and singing to reap the benefits of being in a relaxed state without getting distracted by the vocals.

Of course, where safety is concerned, the car you drive matters too.

Image via Honda Malaysia

The All-new Honda City Hatchback RS is equipped with Honda SENSING, the most complete advanced safety technology in its class that reduces the likelihood of collision with the following features:

• Lane Departure Warning: The steering wheel vibrates and notifies you to fix your path when you go off lane without a turn signal.
• Road Departure Mitigation: An automatic warning and guide to align your steering and apply the brakes if your car veers too close to the edge of the road.
• Lane Keep Assist System: If you leave the lane unintentionally, an intelligent alert and correction aligns your vehicle to the middle of the lane.
• Forward Collision Warning: When there is a risk of collision with the car ahead, you will receive smart audio and visual alerts.
• Collision Mitigation Braking System: Brakes are intuitively applied to slow down or stop the vehicle should there be a risk of an accident.
• Auto High Beam: Automatically switch from high to low beam when the preceding or oncoming car’s light source is detected at night.
• Adaptive Cruise Control: Cruise consistently as you maintain a fixed speed and safe distance with the car ahead of you.

Image via Honda Malaysia

The Honda City Hatchback also stays on top of the game with a 1.5L Sports i-MMD for the RS variant.

Image via Honda Malaysia

The Remote Engine Start feature allows you start and warm up the car’s engine from a distance, a first in its class.

Image via Honda Malaysia

The car is also fitted with ULTRA Seats that come in four modes to help you make the most out of the vehicle’s space:

• Utility Mode for adventure seekers with bulky gears.
• Long Mode to make room for your lengthy items.
• Refresh Mode to transform the front seats into a comfortable lounge-like setting.
• Tall Mode to create more floor-to-ceiling space for plants or furniture.

The All-new Honda City Hatchback will never let rules limit you. To find out more, visit the official Honda website or the nearest Honda Authorised Dealer today!