The EEG effects of combining emotional music and verbal attention during the cold pressor task

Positively valenced classical music and cognitive distraction have shown a comparable ability to decrease pain sensation (Schmidt & Trainor, 2001, Silvestrini, Piguet, Cedraschi, Zentner, 2011). The current study investigated whether a distraction task that combined positively valenced music and cognitive distraction would be more effective at decreasing pain sensation than either condition alone. Additionally, this study examined if there would be different responses for anticipating pain and heightened awareness of pain (Hsieh, Stone-Elander Ingvar, 1999). Participants chose one classical music piece that was rated as most positive. Participants then listened to the chosen piece, completed a verbal attention task, or completed the verbal attention task while listening to the chosen piece (in a counterbalanced order). Participants completed these tasks before pain was applied, during painful stimulus, and for a final 10 seconds of painful stimulus. No significant difference was found between distraction conditions for pain tolerance.