Music And Mental Health: The Power Of Music

Music can have the transformative power to influence emotions, inspire creativity, and change our thoughts. Perhaps it is no secret that listening to uplifting music can boost your mood. Still, evidence shows that music can also be an effective form of therapy. The latest research suggests that listening to music may improve overall well-being and mental health by lowering stress. Music may even help to relieve pain while recovering from surgery, illness, or injury. Music therapy is often used as a complementary treatment for people living with conditions like depression and anxiety, and it can be administered online or in person.

The therapeutic effects of music on mental health

The therapeutic effects of music may include the following:

• Mood control
• Positive emotions 
• Relaxation 
• Stress reduction 
• Coping skills
• Improved cognitive function
• Heightened creativity, memory, and attention
• Physiological effects

Listening to music can help you relax, focus, and sleep better. The link between music and mental health may involve reducing the effects of stress on the body, boosting your mood, and inspiring positive emotions. Moreover, listening to music can be a safe and accessible way to calm anxiety and improve your overall mental health.

Cognitive performance

Listening to background music while completing specific tasks may improve cognitive functions such as focus, attention, and creativity. You may want to try playing instrumental music for a mental boost while completing challenging tasks. In a 2020 AARP survey of 3,185 Americans, adults who played music or listened to music regularly generally reported better cognitive function and brain health. 

Music has frequently been linked to learning and attention, often starting with learning rhymes as a child. Some scholars recommend listening to neutral background music while studying because research has found that music may improve memory and recall. 

Although updated evidence may be needed, a 2013 study on the benefits of music for language learning found that singing in Hungarian typically helped participants learn the Hungarian language faster, suggesting that music may facilitate language learning.

Stress reduction

Many people enjoy listening to music to relax and relieve stress. Listening to soothing music, such as meditation or classical music, may be ideal for maximum stress relief. The idea that music can relieve stress is usually supported by clinical research. For instance, a 2020 meta-analysis of 47 studies found that music interventions could significantly impact mental health. 

More recent research may be beneficial, but a 2013 research study on the effect of music on stress responses found that listening to relaxing music could help people recover from stressors more quickly. The study examined how music impacts endocrine, autonomic, cognitive, and emotional stress responses. Researchers determined that music could have a positive psychobiological impact by reducing the effects of stress. 

Eating habits

Listening to relaxing music while eating could help you feel more satisfied and prevent overconsumption. In general, relaxing background music can lead people to eat more slowly and enjoy their food more. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the connection between music and food intake found that music could have a positive effect on eating habits. 

Pain management with music therapy

Music interventions may be recommended to people diagnosed with chronic pain and physical health conditions like cancer as a safe and accessible form of pain relief. A 2020 study on the potential benefits of music for pain management during medical procedures found that listening to music often reduced pain and anxiety levels for patients.  

According to the latest research, music can be seen as a safe, non-invasive, and inexpensive form of pain relief. Listening to music post-operatively could lessen pain levels for patients as they recover from surgery. Reducing anxiety levels, tension, and stress by listening to relaxing music could promote healing and help people cope with chronic pain. 

Sleep

Listening to music while falling asleep or before bed may improve sleep quality. Music can also help you fall asleep faster and combat the impacts of insomnia, such as high blood pressure and mental fatigue. Getting better quality sleep at night can improve your overall mental well-being and physical health. Thus, music likely has the potential to be an accessible option for treating insomnia. 

Motivation

Upbeat music can motivate you to work hard toward your goals, including your fitness goals. Research on the effects of different types of music on performance has found that fast, loud music can improve performance during workouts and other challenging tasks. One study found that people usually worked out for longer periods of time when they listened to music, suggesting that music could also improve endurance.

Mood control for anxiety, depression, and more

Music can be a tool for coping with unpleasant emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, or anger. Positive music may have the power to transform our emotions and produce a better mood. 

The type of music to which you choose to listen can be an important factor, though. For example, listening to sad music when experiencing depression could worsen symptoms. Listening to positive, uplifting music with the intention of feeling better may yield more benefits for mood. 

Emotion processing

Listening to emotional music or nostalgic, familiar music can help you healthfully process your emotions instead of repressing them. Some studies have found that listening to sad music can have benefits. One way that listening to sad music can be beneficial is by helping you express challenging feelings using a technique called “lyric analysis.”

To practice lyric analysis alone, with a friend, or with a music therapist, you may need to first find the lyrics of a particular song online or in print. You can then listen to the song and mark lyrics that resonate with you. Then, consider discussing the lyrics with a friend or journaling about how you relate to the song and how you feel when you listen to it. 

Social connection

Making music, listening to music, and attending live music events can be opportunities for social bonding that may help people overcome loneliness and isolation. There are many ways that music can foster community, such as local music programs, bands, open mic nights, and festivals. Even if you do not play music, you can find a group of people with whom to connect who are fans of the same type of music as you.

For a young person, music can be a pivotal part of growing up. Connecting with others through shared musical interests may be one way for teens and young adults to connect with peers and boost self-esteem. People of any age can benefit from musical connections, though. A 2016 study found that there could be emotional, physical, and mental health benefits of community music-making for the elderly. 

The role of music in mental health treatment

Music can play an important role in mental health treatment. Research shows several potential benefits of music, such as improving emotional states, coping with stress, and relaxing the mind and body. 

While music alone may not be enough to effectively treat mental health conditions, it can be used as a complementary therapy. Complementary mental health treatments can be used in conjunction with traditional therapy or medications to enhance their effectiveness. Examples of complementary mental health treatments may include music therapy, art therapy, or animal therapy. 

Music therapy tends to have many benefits. For instance, it can be cost-effective and accessible, and it can be administered individually. In general, there are no potential side effects, such as those that can be common with medications. If you’re interested in exploring medication options, consult a doctor or psychiatrist.

If you would like to use music to improve your mental health, you can try the following strategies:

• Play relaxing music when you begin to feel anxious, stressed, or worried.
• Use song lyrics to connect with a friend or express challenging emotions. 
• Work with an experienced music therapist. 
• Listen to different types of music beyond what is most familiar to you.
• Learn a new instrument. 
• Create playlists for different moods. 
• Listen to classical music to help you focus, sleep, or process confusing emotions.

What is music therapy?

Music therapy, sometimes called music medicine, can be defined as the act of listening to music individually or as a group with a therapeutic intention, such as connecting with emotions or coping with stress. Music therapists are generally mental health care professionals with backgrounds in psychology, social work, and music.

In music therapy sessions, you might listen to music with a therapist and discuss how you feel while listening to it, make playlists to listen to during specific occasions, or use music as a tool for guided imagery. Music therapy may also involve singing, songwriting, or using instruments to make music. 

What conditions can music therapy treat?

Music therapy can be a safe and effective coping strategy for the following:

• Depression 
• Anxiety
• Dementia 
• Stress
• Trauma 
• Chronic pain
• Cognitive conditions 
• Substance use disorders
• Autism

A scientific approach to music therapy typically applies evidence from clinical trials and evidence-based case studies to treat mental health conditions. Music usually stimulates the hippocampus, the amygdala, and other parts of the brain related to mood and emotion. Making music can also strengthen motor function and improve communication skills. 

A 2019 study found that college students with anxiety who listened to classical music every day for 60 days experienced reduced anxiety symptoms and improved mental well-being. This suggests that listening to relaxing classical music or meditation music as part of a daily self-care routine could improve mental health

Music therapy could also improve cognitive performance in patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, dementia, or stroke. Neurologic music therapy (NMT) normally focuses on how musical stimuli can activate areas of the brain related to sensory, cognitive, and motor function to treat neurological dysfunction. 

Benefits of online therapy for music and mental health

For some patients, music therapy may be more effective than other treatment options. Since music therapists are usually specialized professionals, though, it may be challenging to find an experienced music therapist within your location or budget. Online therapy may be a better option because it generally allows you to access a larger selection of experienced therapists. Individuals with mental health conditions that make it difficult to leave home, such as anxiety or depression, for example, may also find online therapy more accessible. With this form of remote therapy, you can attend sessions from the comfort of your home. 

Effectiveness of online therapy: Incorporating music and mental health

Research shows that online music therapy can be just as effective as in-person sessions. A 2021 survey of the effectiveness of neurologic music therapy (NMT) delivered via telehealth identified benefits of online music therapy, such as better access to patients, positive treatment outcomes, and increased caregiver involvement. This study and others like it tend to support the idea that music therapy can improve emotional health, interpersonal skills, and overall well-being, whether in-person or online. 

Takeaway 

There tends to be a clear link between music and mental health. The latest reports show that listening to classical music can help people sleep, upbeat music can aid exercise, and instrumentals can help people focus. Moreover, listening to music and making music can also foster community and social connections through shared musical interests. Music can be used in a clinical therapy setting as a complementary intervention for treating mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and trauma. You may benefit from connecting with a music therapist in your local area or through an online therapy platform.