Take heart, classical music lovers …

… Listening to Music May Be Good for Heart Health - Pacific Standard. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

“This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to demonstrate the music, both classical and rock, decreases aortic stiffness and wave reflections,” the researchers write. “Effect on aortic stiffness lasts for as long as music is listened to, while music has a more sustained effect (for at least 30 minutes more) for wave reflections.” 

When it came to pulse waves, classical music fans responded more to the classical playlist and rock fans to the rock compilation. While that makes sense, the results also contained a surprise: The velocity of these waves was reduced more for classical aficionados, whether they were listening to classical or rock.