Effects of Binaural Beats on Mood and Cognition

Abstract

Our brain constantly processes various acoustic stimulus, these stimuli consciously and subconsciously affecting us in everyday life. One of the most common acoustic stimuli that has been consciously used in many settings is music and its effect has been demonstrated and explained over the years with various sci entific research. In recent years, new acoustic stimuli, binaural beats started gaining a place in our lives. People started using these auditory signals to relax, sleep and even meditate. This study took a closer look at the effects of binaural beats on human mood states, emotions and cognition. Changes in the brain wave activity under theta, alpha and beta binaural beats were investigated using electroencephalogram (EEG). Experiment is conducted as fully between design where volunteers only listened to one of the three binaural beat conditions: Theta binaural beats (7 Hz), alpha binaural beats (10 Hz), and beta binaural beats (16 Hz). EEG and Mood questionnaire(PANAS-S) data is collected, and EEG data is analyzed in the frequency domain. Changes in relative power spectral density (PSD) of theta, alpha, and beta bands are calculated to draw meaningful conclusions.