Whether you prefer to blast Beyoncé or sway to Sinatra, your iPod could be the key to improving your heart health, according to researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. When study participants listened to music that made them feel good, their blood vessels expanded by an average of 26 percent, which boosted blood flow to their heart. The opposite happened—blood vessels narrowed by 6 percent—when study participants listened to tunes that made them feel anxious. “Music that makes you happy leads to the release of endorphins that may activate the inner lining of blood vessels,” explains study author Michael Miller, MD, FACC, FAHA, an associate professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “This leads to the release of nitric oxide, which has a host of protective properties, including vessel dilation as well as reducing inflammation and blood clot formation.” So crank up Coldplay and get your blood pumping.