really about science. sona founder neal is convinced that good mental health is all about brainwave frequencies, and that his tailored tracks can lower them from an anxious beta state to a calmer alpha state. we have been conditioned as a society to view music as a means of entertainment and we listen to bob marley, john mayer, all different types of pop music all the time and we think that it's having this relaxing restorative effect on us, but it's actually further engaging our brains, it's making our brains work harder — whereas our music has a restorative effect on the brain. a 23% drop in stress levels, apparently. but sona isn't the only player in this space. dutch outfit alphabeats monitors your stress levels as you use it and it rewards users for chilling out and punishes them of they don't. by utilising your phone's accelerometer and gps centres it measures your breathing, subtly changing the sound of your favourite tracks along the way. the brain is always searching for the most optimal sound, so in order to get there it