These Christmas Songs Could Make Michigan Roads Riskier This Holiday Season, Study Finds

Photo by Sammie Sander

Article courtesy of Bader Law,

• Ariana Grande’s hit Last Christmas is named the most distracting Christmas song to listen to while driving
• Two of Mariah Carey’s tunes, O Holy Night and All I Want for Christmas Is You, are also revealed to hinder productivity
• The classic Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree is among the best songs to enhance focus

With the festive period well underway, new research has revealed the Christmas songs that can distract you while driving, with injury lawyers advising against putting these hits on while driving.

Research by Spotify suggests that songs between 50 and 80 beats per minute can boost creativity and productivity by inducing an “alpha state,” leading to a more focused and alert mindset.

With this research in mind, the team at Bader Law, injury lawyers, examined the beats per minute of Spotify’s most popular Christmas songs to determine which ones exceed this threshold most significantly and are therefore the most distracting.

Last Christmas by global pop icon Ariana Grande takes the title of the most distracting Christmas song, with 205.95 beats per minute, and it’s not the only song by the artist in the ranking, with Santa Tell Me ranking seventh at 191.90 beats per minute.

Various Christmas classics are also identified as highly distracting, with The Happiest Christmas Tree by Nat King Cole, Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin’ Stevens, and Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters having beats per minute of 205.88, 202.90, and 202.48.

Despite not making the top ten, several of Mariah Carey’s festive hits exceed the ‘alpha state’ threshold, including O Holy Night at 173.98 beats per minute and the seasonal staple All I Want for Christmas Is You at 150.27.

Seth Bader from Bader Law has commented on the findings,

“When we’re driving home for Christmas with our favorite festive songs on, it can be easy to become distracted, which ultimately, can be deadly. Keeping in mind, during the holiday season, the nights are darker, there can be an increase of drunk driving from those dangerously enjoying the festivities, so drivers have to be hyper-vigilant during these times, more so than ever. That’s why, this study highlights the songs to avoid putting on your playlist that can add even more risk to driving.”

Methodology

The study examined 200 of Spotify’s biggest Christmas songs before examining each one’s beats per minute. The songs were then ranked from highest to lowest, with the highest representing the most distracting and the lowest representing the least distracting.