Music, emotion regulation, & distress tolerance: Investigating how music may influence distress tolerance in college students

Although music has been studied in the context of emotion regulation, there has been little or no research between the relationship between music and distress tolerance. In this study, participants were brought into the lab to fill out surveys, listen to positive, negative, or neutral music, and complete an emotional distress tolerance task while music was still playing. Positive and negative affect was evaluated throughout the study. Positive Affect was not directly influenced by music but was decreased during the distress tolerance task. The neutral and positive music both lowered negative affect while the distress tolerance task significant increased positive affect. Musical condition did not have a direct effect on distress tolerance