Regardless of people’s taste in music, it is undeniable that we all enjoy music. But what impact do different styles of music have on animals.
In 2001, researchers at the University of Leicester played various songs to 1000-strong herds of Friesian dairy cows. Over a period of nine weeks, the researchers alternated between fast music, slow music, and silence for 12 hours each day. They found that calming music—like R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony”—actually resulted in the cows producing 3 percent more milk—0.73 liters per cow per day. Watch how these cows react to a person playing the accordion.