Listening to Dave Brubeck perform the Hoagy Carmichael classic “Stardust” may not become standard procedure in surgery recovery rooms, but researchers at Penn State Milton S. Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center found that elective hysterectomy patients had significantly lower post-surgery heart rates when they listened to that tune and other jazz numbers.
The same effect was found for patients who were simply exposed to simulated silence through wearing noise-canceling headphones. Those patients also saw an additional benefit, as they experienced less pain.
