If you or someone you know needs to have surgery soon, check to see if the surgeon is a rock fan. Why? A new study found a surgeons’ work actually improves when they’re listening to rock music during a procedure.
This new study was recently published by Langenbeck’s Archives of Surgery. The study noted, “Novice surgeons underwent a proficiency-based laparoscopic training curriculum. Participants were required to perform these tasks under three conditions: no music, with music in medium volume (45–50 dB) and in high volume (65–70 dB). Soft rock by the Beatles and hard rock by AC/DC were played. Task performance was evaluated by analyzing speed and accuracy.”
So, what further details did this study find? When the Beatles were played at a medium volume during the study, “Participants were faster in peg transfer and more accurate in suture with intracorporeal knot compared to without music. The total score was improved by enhancing accuracy.” However, these improvements went away when the Beatles were played at a high volume.
As for AC/DC, when their music was played at a medium volume, “Participants were faster performing precision cutting compared to without music. Both balloon preparation and precision cutting were performed more rapidly and the accuracy was maintained. Hard rock in high volume also resulted in increased speed compared to without music.”
The next recommended sequel to this study? Use the same tests but compare surgeons’ performance when listening to the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson parts of the AC/DC catalog. (If these scientists clearly aren’t in a rush to cure cancer or any other diseases, their studies may as well continue to be cool.)
