INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC AND ITS EFFECTS ON STRESS AND BODY AWARENESS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

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.