Who says playing music is always stressful?

In doing research for this group project in my communications class, I came across this article in American Music Teacher, Jun/Jul 2005:

"Playing a Musical Instrument Found to Reverse Stress
    A groundbreaking study recently published in the Medical Science Monitor shows for the first time that playing a musical instrument can reverse multiple components of the human stress response on the genetic level.
    The study's principal investigator, Barry Bittman, M.D., of the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, Pennsylvania, says these finding shed new light on the value of active music participation and extend an understanding of individualized human biological stress responses on an unprecedented level.
    The research team led by Bittman included researchers from Loma Linda University School of Medicine and Applied Biosystems, the developer of the original technology that led to the successful mapping of the human genome, announced in June 2000.
    The research shows that the stress-reduction impact was far greater for individuals participating in their first group keyboard lesson than for subjects who simply relaxed and read newspapers and magazines.
    Our preliminary findings demonstrate that active participation in a group keyboard program was far more effective at reversing stress signatures than simply relaxing and reading newspapers and magazines," says Bittman.  "This is intriguing from an integrative lifestyle perspective.  With ongoing research, recreational music making could potentially serve as a rational stress-reduction activity, along with other lifestyle strategies that include healthy nutrition and exercise."
    The study was supported by Yamaha Corporation of American and Applied Biosystems."

Cool stuff, yes?