Kick back and enjoy (Unsplash)
You get home from work, put down your bag and kick off your shoes. You breathe a sigh of relief and shake off the stress of the day, already looking forward to a relaxing evening at home. You grab a drink or a snack and reach for your iPod to get some chilled tunes pumping. What do you play? According to research from the UK, this 10-song playlist is your best bet.
The first song on the list - Weightless by Macaroni Union - was produced in collaboration with sound therapists, and relaxes listeners by slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. With guitar, piano and natural sounds, the track uses a technique called "entrainment" to calm the mind, by gradually slowing from 60 beats per minute to 50. Over the course of eight minutes, the listener’s heart rate slowly syncs with the music, bringing on a natural feeling of calm.
The same study found that the remaining nine songs shared relaxing qualities with Weightless - making this playlist the perfect way to kick back and chill out.
