Whether it’s a cross-country trek to a national park or a regional trip across a single state, a road trip is an American tradition. Less tradition than torture is something else that accompanies many to their destination — motion sickness.

A new study in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience, however, might show a good prescription for feeling better in the form of music.

Researchers found that listening to soft, gentle or upbeat, joyful music significantly alleviated motion sickness by an average of 57%. That hints at a new tool to battle that awful feeling.

Sad songs, however, didn’t help much and were less effective for relieving symptoms than simply pulling into a rest stop and taking a break from driving.

The study did not provide specific examples of music played to test subjects, beyond broad categories like “sad,” “soft” and “joyful.”

Scientists who wrote the study had 30 volunteers use a driving simulator to trigger motion sickness. They asked the drivers to self-report how they felt as music played. Researchers also monitored the subjects’ brain activity.

Once participants began to feel ill, investigators played music.

The study suggested that music interacts with the brain and body. Soft music, for example, might calm the nervous system. By contrast, joyful music might be distracting as a piece stimulates the brain’s reward centers.

Study authors admit their analysis is limited since so few test subjects participated. Still, it provides a reminder of the transcendent power of music.

Keep an appropriate playlist handy on your next excursion and end the trip on a high note. But avoid sad songs like drivers avoid construction zones.