Overview

• Researchers at Southwest University reported the findings on Sept. 3 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
• Thirty participants prone to moderate carsickness were tested in a calibrated driving simulator and split into four music groups, a no-music control, and a stopped-early comparator.
• After 60 seconds of listening, self-reported symptom reductions were joyful 57.3%, soft 56.7%, passionate 48.3%, control 43.3%, and sad 40%.
• EEG complexity in the occipital lobe dropped when participants felt sick and moved back toward baseline as symptoms eased, suggesting a candidate quantitative marker.
• The authors describe music as a low-cost, noninvasive option but stress the small sample and simulated setting, calling for larger real-world studies that examine personal music preference and other travel modes.