Feds Turn to 'Brain Music' to Boost Emergency Worker Performance

Via Wired.com (Danger Room) -

As anyone who has ever cranked "Ace of Spades" knows, music can be a powerful tool. And researchers at the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate want to find ways to harness that power.

The program is supposed to study how "brain music" -- a customized soundtrack designed to either boost alertness or reduce stress -- can improve the performance of police, firefighters and other first responders. As described by DHS, researchers will test how an "instrumental alert track" (click here for a sample) can boost focus and energy, or act to reduce stress. A group of firefighters will take part in the experiment.

“Because of the strains that come with an emergency response job, we are interested in finding ways to help these workers remain at the top of their game when working and get quality rest when they go off a shift,” said Department of Homeland Security Program Manager Robert Burns.

The DHS news item describes how it works. Each two– to-six-minute brain music track is performed on a single instrument, usually a piano. One tune would be tailored for relaxation (Burns says it might sound more like a “melodic, subdued Chopin sonata”), while the revving-up track might have “more of a Mozart sound.”

Neurofeedback soundtracks will be created by Human Bionics, a company that markets a product called "Brain Music Therapy," used to help correct sleep disorders. The program is part of DHS's "Readiness Optimization Program," which is supposed to test ways to improve the job performance of first responders by combining brain music with nutrition education.

While we haven't seen the details on the nutrition piece, one wonders if that, too, will combine a focus component (Red Bull? Wheatgrass shots?) with a stress-relief component (doughnuts, Cheetos).