Does listening to music help motion sickness?
Verdict: Probably
Probably, but only if you actually like what is playing. Music delayed nausea onset in a crossover trial, and in a separate 93-person study the benefit appeared only when listeners rated the music as pleasant.
What it's claimed to do
Put your headphones on and it takes your mind off it. Common advice, and — unusually for common advice — tested more than once.
- YesTested for motion sickness and it held up.
- Probablythis remedyReal trial support, but modest or from a single study.
- MixedTrials disagree — some found an effect, better-designed ones did not.
- UntestedNo one has tested this for motion sickness. It may still be sensible.
- NoTested for motion sickness and it did not beat a placebo.
Levels describe the state of the published research on motion sickness specifically — not on nausea in general, and not how well something worked for any individual. “Untested” means no trial has looked; it is not the same as a remedy having been tested and failed.
What the research actually says
Two studies point the same way. In the Imperial College crossover trial, a music audiotape extended tolerance to nauseogenic motion from 9.2 to 10.4 minutes, statistically significant and almost identical to the benefit from controlled breathing in the same experiment. Keshavarz and Hecht then ran the more interesting test: 93 volunteers watched a 14-minute bicycle-ride video while assigned to relaxing, neutral, stressful or no music. The headline result was not that music helps — it was that the reduction in sickness appeared only when the listener personally rated the music as pleasant, regardless of which category it had been assigned to. That is a useful, actionable finding. It means there is no correct genre and no special playlist; what matters is whether you enjoy it. It also means someone else choosing the music for you is unlikely to help.
The studies, in full
Journal of Travel Medicine 10(2):108-11 · PMID 12650654
Participants: 24 healthy adults, within-subject crossover
A music audiotape extended motion tolerance before moderate nausea to 10.4 ± 5.6 min versus 9.2 ± 5.9 min for the control condition (p < 0.01) — a benefit similar in size to controlled breathing in the same trial.
Read the source →Applied Ergonomics 45(3):521-7 · PMID 23957932
Participants: 93 volunteers
Watching a 14-minute bicycle-ride video with relaxing, neutral, stressful or no music: a significant reduction in visually induced motion sickness occurred only when the presented music was rated pleasant by the listener, independent of the assigned music category.
Read the source →Safety & what to watch for
- We should declare an interest here: Dizzout is an audio app, so this is the one page on this site where we have something to gain from the verdict. The studies above tested ordinary music on ordinary headphones — not our app, and not any product. We have written the verdict to match what those trials found and nothing more.
- The effects measured were modest — around a minute of extra tolerance in the crossover trial. Music is a useful adjunct, not a fix for a genuinely rough crossing.
- Music you dislike may be worse than silence. In the 2014 study the benefit tracked pleasantness, so an unpleasant track is not a neutral choice.
- Headphones can make it harder to hear crew announcements or a driver asking you to open a window. Keep the volume where you can still hear the cabin.
If you want to try it
- Choose music you genuinely enjoy rather than something labelled calming — enjoyment is what tracked with the benefit.
- Load it before you go. Buffering and dead zones are a poor time to be searching a phone screen, which is itself a trigger.
- Start it before the rough section, in line with everything else that works better as prevention than rescue.
- It stacks neatly with slow breathing: both are things you can do in a middle seat with your eyes shut.
Looking for something drug-free?
Try Dizzout Free
We make a free, drug-free app that plays calibrated sound through headphones you already own. We hold it to the same standard as everything on this page: it is not a medication, it will not suit everyone, and if a forward view and slow breathing are enough for you, use those first.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of music works best for motion sickness?+
The music you like. That is the actual finding — in the 93-person study, the assigned category (relaxing, neutral, stressful) did not predict the benefit; the listener's own pleasantness rating did. There is no evidence for a special genre, tempo or frequency.
Is listening to music better than closing your eyes?+
They do different jobs and combine well. Music appears to work by distraction and mood; closing your eyes works by removing conflicting visual input. In a windowless seat you can do both at once.
Do sound-based motion sickness apps have evidence behind them?+
The trials described on this page tested ordinary music, and they do not establish that any particular app works. Individual products have their own evidence, of varying quality, and you should judge those claims on their own merits rather than on these studies.
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Sources
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When it isn't motion sickness. Severe or lasting dizziness, a spinning sensation at rest, hearing loss, ringing in one ear, double vision, a bad headache, chest pain, fainting, or vomiting you cannot stop are not motion sickness. Seek medical care rather than a travel remedy.
Dizzout is not a medical provider and nothing here is medical advice. These pages summarize published research so you can weigh it — they cannot account for your health, your medicines or your pregnancy. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement or medication, especially if you take other drugs, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are buying for a child. Evidence summaries reflect the published literature as of July 2026 and describe findings in groups of people, which cannot predict your individual response. Product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.