Classical music is used to keep young people from partying on beaches in Finland

People swim at Suomenlinna Sveaborg, sea fortress island near Helsinki. Espoo police have installed loudspeakers that play classical music near the Finnish city's beaches. — Photography mathess/Getty Images, via ETX DailyUp

Music has such a profound influence on our mood and behavior that a line from a 1697 William Congreve play has become an oft-repeated saying: "music has charms to soothe a savage breast." And Finnish police are making use of this well-known power with a decision to play classical music on some of the country's beaches to deter the young.

The initiative was launched in Espoo, a city on the outskirts of Helsinki, where there are some 30 beaches. Young people frequently visit these watering holes to hold parties for the end of the school year. These gatherings can turn unruly and are frowned upon by local authorities, because of the garbage that gets left behind.