INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC AND ITS EFFECTS ON STRESS AND BODY AWARENESS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Meet Parikh, Prateek Kumar Singh, Misari Pujara
International Journal of Advanced Research March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.21474/ijar01/23047 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental design Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | University students |
| Intervention | Instrumental Indian Classical music |
| Duration | 10-minute exposure |
| Measures | standardized questionnaires |
| Key findings | Exposure to 10 minutes of instrumental Indian Classical music significantly reduced state-level stress in university students, but had no significant effect on body awareness. The authors suggest that longitudinal studies are needed to understand long-term effects for therapy development. |
Abstract
The stress relieving effects of music, and specifically Indian Classical music have been proven again and again, in various contexts. Studying its immediate effects though, on university students, adds to this field. Along with stress, understanding if the rhythm of Indian Classical music is able to bring awareness to ones own body sensations and feel the physiological symptoms of stress and fatigue early on, or help notice the calming effects of the music and enhance the effect. This study thus measures if there exists any difference in the state level stress, and body mindfulness, before and after exposure to a 10-minute piece of instrumental Indian Classical music. Using an experimental design, pre and post playing the music, the data for the two variables was collected, using standardized questionnaires, on a sample of 30 university students. This data was statistically analysed, and the results show, significant reduction in stress, which supports the existing literature, but none in body awareness. To apply these results to the development of Indian Classical music-based therapies, more longitudinal studies are required and encouraged, to understand long exposure effects beyond just state level effects.