Music has long been a way for expectant parents to bond with their children even in the womb. A team of researchers has found evidence that music can calm a fetus's heartbeat, potentially offering developmental benefits.
The study, published in the journal Chaos, involved 36 pregnant women and the scientists chose two classical pieces to play, “The Swan” by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns and “Arpa de Oro” by Mexican composer Abundio Martinez. By connecting external heart rate monitoring devices, the researchers were able to measure the fetal heart rate response to both songs and identify changes in heart rate during and after the music was played.
The research team used mathematical analysis tools to identify patterns in heart rate variability, a measure of the time between individual beats. This can provide information about the maturation of the fetus's autonomic nervous system, with greater variability often indicating healthy development.
"Overall, we found that exposure to music resulted in more stable and predictable patterns of fetal heart rate. We hypothesize that this momentary effect may stimulate the development of the fetal autonomic nervous system," says author Claudia Lerma, from the Ignacio Chavez National Institute of Cardiology in Mexico.
In addition to the overall effects of music, the researchers also examined the differences between the two classical compositions and found that while both were effective, the Mexican guitar melody in the second composition had a stronger effect. “Factors such as rhythmic characteristics, melodic structure, or cultural familiarity could be related to this differentiation,” explains author Eric Alonso Ambarca-Castro, an assistant professor at the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico.
The study authors plan to continue the research, examining different genres and types of music to further understand their impact.
