WHATCHA GONNA PLAY WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU? BAD BOYS NAMED TOP POLICE CHASE TRACK
Thursday, 03 October, 2024
MUSIC has long been used by people across the world to regulate or enhance their emotional state. According to reports and experts, music can help to decrease blood pressure, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, promote better rest, lift the mood and reduce the heart rate, just by listening to 30 minutes a day.
Eloise Skinner, psychotherapist, TEDx speaker and author said: “Music can have a wide range of physical, mental and emotional effects. It can lower our heart rate, reduce our stress levels, release endorphins, help us process emotions and provide a new point of focus when faced with challenging circumstances.”
The UK’s key workers are known for working some of the world’s most stressful and high-pressured jobs, so it’s no surprise music often plays a big part in their lives. A study by Motorfinity, which offers discounts on cars for teachers, NHS, emergency service workers, armed forces and carers has crunched the data to reveal each key workers’ top tracks.
By analysing more than 15,000 Spotify playlists relating to different key worker professions, the team have uncovered which tracks are topping the charts for different roles, and which genres featured most. When it came to law enforcement, playlists that featured ‘police chase’ in the title predominantly featured hip-hop, although the pop-ska hit Bad Boys by Inner Circle was top – not surprising, after soundtracking the ‘90s TV series, Cops.
Beyond this, hip-hop featured heavily across ‘police chase’ playlists, with artists including Kendrick Lemar, Travis Scott, J.Cole, Lil Uzi Vert and Tyler The Creator.
The study found that fire fighters also share a love for modern hip-hop hits, with nine out of ten of the top ten tracks in fire fighters’ playlists being from rap stars. Taking the top spot was Travis Scott’s goosebumps, followed by Lil Baby’s Drip Too Hard (Lil Baby & Gunna) which was second and Travis Scott’s FE!N (feat. Playboi Carti) which was crowned as the third most popular track.
Other artists that made the top ten included J.Cole, Lil Uzi Vert, Eminem and Kendrick Lemar.
According to some experts, hip-hop has the ability to elicit feelings of increased relaxation and calm, helping to improve the listener’s daily mood. It’s no wonder then that it’s topping the charts for high-adrenaline activities like fire-fighting and police chases.
Eloise added: “Slower, calmer music – such as Coldplay’s Yellow - can have a more meditative, peaceful impact, while fast-paced, upbeat music can deliver an energy boost or lift in mood.
"However, research also suggests that a key aspect of how music affects us is dependent on what feels good to the individual person - one person's idea of a calming track might be different to another, for example.”
Dean Skiba, chief operating officer at Motorfinity said: “Music plays a big part in lots of people’s lives, including key and emergency service workers, and when speaking with our clients we’re reminded every day just how much pressure they’re under. Music can go some way in helping to manage stress, and by doing this research it’s been interesting to see which tunes they’re turning to in 2024.
"Getting an insight into the music that police force might listen to, for example, can provide a real glimpse into their everyday lives. At the end of the day, whether working for the NHS, armed forces, fire or police services, as well as being an everyday hero each of these workers is a real human being and all too often, it’s easy for people to forget that.
“You never know, after reading our research, you might find out that you share similar tastes with the profession you least expected too.”
With thousands of people working tirelessly to keep the nation safe each day, Eloise gives advice on how music could help key workers unwind.
She says: “To get the most benefits from listening to music, studies have suggested that listening for around 30 minutes a day could be associated with lower rates of anxiety or stress. This is really quite achievable whether you listen to music on the way to work, on your break or even – if it’s safe to do so – while on the job. Again, the ideal length of time does depend on each individual, so if you feel like listening to music, and it makes you feel good, just put on your favourite song.”
View the full study that reveals each key workers’ top music tracks on the Motorfinity website.
