Comparing 432 Hz And 440 Hz Music In Relation To Emotional Safety Among Hospitality Management Students

Abstract

Music listening is frequently used to regulate emotions and manage stress, but limited evidence exists regarding whether music tuning frequency is associated with emotional safety among students. This exploratory study compared changes in emotional safety among Hospitality Management students exposed to music tuned to either 432 Hz or 440 Hz. A two-group experimental pretest-posttest design was employed with 16 participants randomly assigned to the 432 Hz condition (n = 8) or the 440 Hz condition (n = 8). Emotional safety was measured before and after the listening session using a 10-item scale. Responses were converted so that higher total scores consistently represented greater emotional safety. Descriptive statistics, change scores, a point-biserial correlation, and Welch's independent-samples t-test were used in the analysis. The 432 Hz group began with higher emotional-safety scores, but both groups attained similarly high posttest scores. The 440 Hz group demonstrated a larger mean change (M = 11.13, SD = 3.44) than the 432 Hz group (M = 4.50, SD = 6.44). Welch's test indicated a statistically significant difference in change scores, t(10.70) = -2.57, p = .027. Nevertheless, the pronounced baseline difference, possible ceiling effects, and small sample limit causal interpretation. The findings suggest that both listening conditions were associated with improved emotional safety, while the apparent advantage of 440 Hz requires confirmation through larger experiments with stronger baseline equivalence and validated measurement procedures.