CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Background Study
Stress can fatal to the certain people to decide in suicide which can be account for

about one million lives lost per year worldwide [1]. Stress is the feeling that that is
created by the people when they are reacted due to the burden that they face in everyday
life. According to the the recents survey, most of school and university students
nationwide are stressed out by their academic records[2]. To overcome this problems,
they do activities such as meditation, picnic or visiting natural places in order to reduce
their stress level. However, there is an option to reduce stress, i.e. by listening to music
that do not require travelling and hearing music while doing something will not consume
time and music therapy can be carried out effectively[3]. Consequently, psychotherapy
intervention has been wanted to reduce stress. Hence, this review seeks to explore music
listening as a potential complementary intervention to reduce stress level. Moreover, in
the modernizaton era, people usually listen to music everywhere by using their gadgets.
Since the time of ancient greeks and roman, music known as the mechanism to
manipulate human behaviour[4]. In addition, music also produce the psychological
responses of altered mood leading to improved health outcomes and achieving a
therapeutic outcome such as reduced symptoms of depression[5,6].
Alvarson et al. showed that a decreases in sympathetic activity can be raised
psychology stress by natural sounds[7]. Classical music also lowers systolic blood
pressure and reverse chane in blood pressure, heart rate and levels of cortisol and
immunaglobulin A (IgA) that happens in response to stress[8,9]. Moreover, one of the
particular kind of sound with certain physical components, alpha sound has been used to
relieve stress level.

Considering these problems, the research is focusing on electroenchephalogram

(EEG). Basically, EEG is an electronic activity measured on the scalp so that it will
identify brainwaves activity. EEG based evaluaton has drastically been used for reading
human emotions recent years. The brains neurons record the memory of every event in
our lives. There are 4 different types of levels which is Delta, Theta, Alpha and Beta [10].
In this study, we identifying on how alpha brainwave music can reduce students stress.
Alpha brain waves are considered relaxed brainwave activity . Alpha brainwaves are
brainwaves that cycle within the range of 8 12 Hz and are usually generated in the
brains right hemisphere or in a synchronized pattern between both right and left
hemispheres. Alpha waves rspond in when our mind and body are completely relaxed and
free of stress. Alpha is generally thought of as the normal brainwave that is dominant in
people who are relaxed, creative, and have a clear mind . Alpha is considered the
normal brainwave pattern and is dominant when people close their eyes. Children tend
to have much higher levels of alpha brainwaves than adults. In addition, alpha brainwaves
are considered the healthiest brainwave range and 10 Hz has widely been accepted as the
safest brainwave frequency to train[11].
Beta is the highest of frequency among 4 which has frequency range around to 12 to
38 Hz. Beta brainwaves dominate our normal waking state of consciousness when
attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world. Beta is a accelerated
activity, present when we are alert, attentive, engaged in problem solving, judgment,
decision making, and engaged in focused mental activity [12]. Theta brainwaves has
frequency wave is 3 to 8 Hz, occur most often in sleep but are also dominant in the deep
meditation. It acts as our gateway to learning and memory. In theta, our senses are
withdrawn from the external world and focused on signals originating from within. It is
that twilight state which we normally only experience fleetingly as we wake or drift off to
sleep. In theta we are in a dream; vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond our
normal conscious awareness [13]. Delta brainwaves are the slowest but loudest
brainwaves (low frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat), the range of

frequency is about 0.5 to 3 Hz. They are generated in deepest meditation and dreamless
sleep. Delta waves suspend external awareness and are the source of empathy. Healing
and regeneration are stimulated in this state, and that is why deep restorative sleep is so
essential to the healing process.
As previously mentioned, to overcome students stress with associated relaxation method, alpha
music were implement to this study. From the study feature extraction from EEG patterns in the music
listening method, the mental state by music can be done by using the method of translating human
EEG into music that is discussed in the previous study of music composition from the brain signal
which is representing the mental state by music[14]. In sum up, the presents study represent on the
examine the effect of alpha brainwave music on reducing students stress level.

1.2

Problem Statement
Stress is a critical and most worried health-related problem in modern societies through around

the world. The scope of his study are conducting on the university students that as we know they are
burden with multiple various of task that needed for them to due the task in no time .Consequently,
there are various attempt to reduce or prevent the negative consequences of stress, researchers have
examined technique such as progressive relaxation, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, and imaginary.
The research claim that the alpha brainwave music can stimulate human brain and increase the

alpha brainwave to enhance relaxing mood. Eventually, there are no research that give a
scientific evidenceby using EEG that the alpha music can consequently reduce stress.
Therefore, this presents study are managing on the effect of alpha brainwave music on reducing
students stress level.

1.3

Objectives
The present study were examined whether the alpha music will effects on students stress level.

The EEG information data taken is before and after listening to the alpha brainwave music.

1.4

Scope of Study
For this project, 20 students consist of male and female from Faculty of Electrical

Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam were involved to become the
subject for our study. This study has been conducted at The Biomedical Research and
Development Laboratory for Human Potential, Faculty of Electrical Engineering,
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam. The students participants ages range
between 20 to 27 years old and participants are in a good health conditions also free from
usage of medications. The participants are given 3 weeks to 4 weeks to listen alpha
brainwave music and they have to spend to hear 3 period for the music per-day. Besides,
the 3 period of time consist of morning (6.00 a.m- 11.59 am), evening (12.00 pm - 4.59
pm) and night (5.00 pm - 11.59 pm) that need 5 minutes to spend for the alpha brainwave
music respectively. The signals of the brain waves will be recorded by using EEG. The
data will be taken before and after participants were done listening to the alpha brainwave
music within 3 - 4 weeks.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

The use of music as healing method has been proved throughout history. The healing
intervention has been well documented for the sake of future generation. In modern
health care, music has often been used in specialized in many sector such as psychiatry,
neurology and coronary care,as well for the uses for surgery and general geriatric care.
The search of literature revealed a related recent systematic review by Maratos et al. that
study and investigated the effect of music therapy on depressed adults. Apparently,
according to the authors view of music therapy, studies must have a coherent theoretical
framework underpinning the intervention and musical interaction between therapy and
patients. Basically, in conclude from the researcher is that the music therapy which
require the patient, or group of patient, play music instruments, or sing, with the therapist.
Listening to music has become a ordinary behavior while studying or working, and
with the recent growth either in offline or online music services such as Pandora and
iTunes, this practice will likely continue. Moreover, it is like pandemic that music plays
many underlying roles, including reducing boredom, masking ambient noise, and
increasing attention to tasks (Hargreaves & North 1997). However, research on the
physiological effects of music is often opposed and little research has been done
throughly to apply the effects of music tempo in task performance. It has been
recommended that because the delegate performed in musical studies are so varied, it is
foreseen that results would be conflicting and that the musical effects on each task must
instead be studied individually (Day 2009). Most studies specifically focusing on
differing music tempos have centralized on the musical augmentation of human emotions
and, as with most physiological studies of music, have been overrun with mixed results
(Kellaris & Kent, 1994). A 2011 study found that music with a high tempo led to an
increment in perceived tension and alertness (van der Zwaag, 2011). Fast music tempo

has also been shown to increase spatial logical thinking in addition to positive effects
on mood (Husain, 2011). In a 2002 study, for calming relaxing music genre had a
positive effect on the number of mathematics problems completed, remembering words
from sentences and on reported prosocial behavior in children aged 1012 years while
arousing, unpleasant and aggressive music had a negative effect on performance on a
memory task (Hallam, 2002).
In addition, the brain which is like a crown jewel of the body and how its manage to
control the entire of human body and also act as the center of the humans nervous system
is also recognized as a central processing unit (CPU) to a human body. In addition, the
brain cells called neurons interact with one another through trains of signal pulses
producing brainwaves. Apparently, the brainwaves are categorized into four levels
namely Delta, Theta, Alpha and Beta. Table 1 shows element of the brainwave relative to
the frequency and amplitude.
Brainwaves
Beta

Frequency (Hz)
13-40

Amplitude (v)
Lowest

Alpha
Theta
Delta

8-12
4-7
0.1-3
TABLE 1. Brainwave Level

Low
High
Highest

Furthermore, to correspond on mental state by music can be done by using the method of
translating human EEG into music which is discussed in study of music from the brain signal that is
representing the mental state by music. The paper states that when the physiological and psychological
state of being awake levels of the brain mental state and music emotion are implicitly used as the
bridge between the mind world and the music. This type of condition level is based on the EEG
features extracted mainly by wavelet analysis, and the music arousal level is affiliated to the musical
parameters i.e pitch, tempo, rhythm, and tonality. The EEG signal related to music listening also have
discussed on the study of discovering EEG signals response to musical signal stimuli.

The Alpha brainwave state is actually considered the brains most normal functioning state. But,
we seem to spend less and less time functioning in alpha. One consequence of this is the brain actually
forgets how to produce alpha waves. This means we tend to feel more stressed and less able to cope
with the strain stress induces on your health . So, the result is a greater chance of getting stress-related
disorders and diseases. Anxiety and stress have a dramatic impact on lowering the strength of your
immune system. Generating more alpha waves makes you feel less anxious and more relaxed as the
harmony between your mind and body is restored. Alpha brainwaves are brainwaves that cycle

within the range of 8 12 Hz and are usually generated in the brains right hemisphere or
in a synchronized pattern between both right and left hemispheres. Alpha brainwaves are
considered the healthiest brainwave range and 10 Hz has widely been accepted as the
safest brainwave frequency to train.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Flow Chart of Project

The experiment will be conducted in quiet environment room at the early week of september
2016 approximately. Figure 2 shows a short and briefly explaination of the process in determining on
the effect of alpha brainwave music on reducing students stress by using EEG signal. For the data
collection, some literature review about on the related scope of study. Then, some questionnaire are
given to the participant before and after listening to alpha brainwave music within the time. Then the
brainwave result will be recorded using pre-processing to get EEG signals.

START

LITERATURE REVIEW

DESIGNING QUESTIONAIRE

RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS

EEG RECORDING (BEFORE)

GIVEN 3 - 4 WEEKS TO THE

PARTICIPANT TO LISTEN TO
THE MUSIC
.
3 PERIOD PER DAY
- MORNING
- EVENING
- NIGHT

EEG RECORDING (AFTER)

DATA ANALYSIS

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION

END