What You Listen to Makes a Difference – the Impact of Music on Drivers’ Psycho-Physical State

Abstract

Driving is a cognitively demanding activity, and reduced attention is a leading cause of road accidents, resulting in many fatalities and injuries each year. Research has shown that sounds and music can influence attentional performance; however, evidence on whether auditory stimuli can improve attention, especially while driving, is limited. This study employed the Attentional Network Test (ANT) to investigate how four types of sound - –slow beat music, brown noise, fast beat music, and no sounds, - modulate attention in a car-like environment. It also quantified the impact of auditory stimuli on physiological response and subjective experience. Results indicate that slow beat music has several positive effects: it enhances the efficiency of attentional orienting and the ability to focus on relevant targets while ignoring distractors, lowers heart rate, and increases subjective feelings of pleasure and relaxation. The benefits of slow beat music on attentional performance and psycho-physiological state suggest that it can be used to promote driving safety and reduce the risk of accidents.

Keywords: Attentional Network, Sound, Brown Noise, Slow Beat Music, Fast Beat Music