Humming the Spanish dance song Macarena could save lives, according to research that suggests it helps people administer chest compressions at the correct rate while performing CPR.

The study compared the rate and depth of compressions 164 students performed on a mannequin over the course of two minutes. One group were given no external beat, one group were given a smartphone app that featured a metronome, and one group were asked to play Macarena in their head.

The perky pop hit, released by Los del Río in 1995, was picked for a number of attributes, although apparently not its lyrics.



Macarena by Los del Río

“[It] is the most famous song in Spain, and probably one of the most well known in the world, and the beat of the chorus of the song is 103bpm, a correct rhythm for performing the rate of compressions,” said Prof Enrique Carrero Cardenal of the University of Barcelona, one of the researchers involved in the study, which is being presented at the Euroanaesthesia congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Almost all the students had previously been taught CPR, although there were differences in the proportion of men and women in the different groups and their BMIs.

The results reveal that none of the groups reached the necessary depth of 5-6cm compression, “probably because performing high-quality compressions during CPR requires the brain to multitask and it is complicated to concentrate on the action of following the correct rate and depth at the same time,” said Carrero Cardenal.

But both those using the app and those mentally indulging in a spot of Spanish pop did significantly better than the control group at producing compressions between 100 and 120 times a minute, with 91% of those using the app and 74% of those thinking of the song achieving such a rate, compared to 24% of the control group.

While those using the app were more precise in reaching around 103 compressions per minute than the Macarena group, they had a greater delay in making their first compression.

Despite the worldwide popularity of the song, the students rated the app as more useful. However, Carrero Cardenal said the tune could help members of the public produce compressions at the correct rate when the app was not available.

For anyone concerned that thinking of Macarena could trigger a spontaneous desire to perform the accompanying dance, there are plenty of other tunes at 103bpm. Your Body by Christina Aguilera, Trust in Me by Etta James and even James Baskett’s Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah all share the same tempo.