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Mental Health

Listening to Christmas Music on Loop Can Drive a Person Crazy, Expert Says

If the electric guitar strains at the beginning of “Jingle Bell Rock” spike your heart rate and cause your body to break out in a cold sweat, you’re not insane. In fact, playing too much Christmas music is bad for your mental health, one expert says.

“People working in the shops at Christmas have to tune out Christmas music because if they don’t, it really does stop you from being able to focus on anything else,” says Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist and associate fellow of the British Psychological Society.

With stores blasting Christmas music as early as October — a Best Buy in Tampa, Florida reportedly began playing Christmas music on October 22 — store employees are at risk of feeling mentally burned out because it takes so much effort to block out the festive tunes.

Hearing Christmas music in the car, the grocery store aisle, and even at the hair dressers reminds people of all the errands people need to finish before December 25 arrives, Blair says. We think she’s onto something: As if the holidays weren’t stressful enough already, being constantly reminded of tasks you need to complete is enough to make you want to scream, right?

Though it might not be entirely surprising that there is such a thing as too much Christmas music, your ears are unlikely to get relief anytime soon. A 2005 study in the Journal of Business Research found that if a store can get the perfect combination of Christmas scents and music going, shoppers are more likely to stay longer — and therefore purchase more.

So if all you want for Christmas is some peace and quiet, we suggest asking Santa for some earplugs. And while you might not have control over Target’s Christmas playlist, you can certainly implement a ban on Christmas music in your house — or you can look on the bright side and realize that in just under a month, you won’t have to hear the words “reindeer,” “Santa,” or “white Christmas” again for a long time. (Side note: Are we the only ones who think October is way too early for Christmas tunes?)

h/t Fox News

Take your mind of Christmas music with these adorable Christmas cupcake design ideas.

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