Pivoting from the cognitive side of brain health, how can music support mental health? How can it improve depression, anxiety, quality of life, and even the quality of your sleep?
In this study from Feng et al., the effect of music therapy was explored on emotional resilience and well-being. It was an 8-week music therapy intervention that included 256 participants. The study says that music therapy has been “shown to enhance emotion regulation, reduce stress, and improve psychological resilience” (Feng et al.). Emotional resilience is “defined as an individual’s ability to adapt to stress and adversity, and it is a critical component of mental health” (Feng et al.). Well-being is defined as something that “encompasses both subjective well-being and psychological well-being” (Feng et al.). Music therapy was shown to strengthen various aspects of emotional well-being, therefore promoting emotional resilience. Music therapy was also shown to help with an individual’s well-being by enhancing “positive social relationships, health, and a supportive environment.” The scientists then came up with various hypotheses on what music therapy would do. They claimed that emotional resilience would increase, well-being would be enhanced, and employability scores would also improve. For the purposes of this article, we’ll solely be focusing on the emotional resilience and well-being aspects of the study. During the study, the participants engaged in an 8-week music therapy program conducted once a week for one hour. The sessions were held online and facilitated by a certified music therapist. The interventions featured various music-related activities like music listening, creating, and discussion. The goal was to enhance emotional regulation and stress management through music therapy.
The results showed that music did, in fact, increase the emotional resilience and well-being of the participants over the 8-week intervention period through “providing avenues for emotional expression and release, thereby indirectly improving well-being.” Essentially, through improving emotional resilience with music therapy as a form of release, well-being also improved as a result.
In this meta-analysis by Lee et al., the effects of music therapy for patients with depression and anxiety were investigated. The studies that they searched for included various intervention types, including active and receptive music therapy, as well as individual and group music therapy. Through choosing 26 different studies, the scientists discovered various things about the ways that music can help those with clinical depression and anxiety. They found that music therapy showed a greater reduction in depression scores, with statistical significance, compared to any sort of control group. Overall, active music therapy (the act of physically making music or being involved directly in the music) allowed for a greater decrease in depression scores compared to receptive music therapy. Group music therapy allowed for an even greater decrease.
Finally, they compared the scores of those working with a certified music therapist versus a non-music therapist, and both groups showed similar reductions in depression scores. Music therapy was also shown to be a much better intervention than other types of art therapies like painting and poetry. Music therapy also significantly increased quality of life in those who were involved in some form of music therapy. Music therapy significantly reduced anxiety scores as compared to the control group and was also shown to significantly improve sleep quality across all forms of music therapy.
Clearly, any type of association with music can truly help your mental health and various other aspects of your life. With this in mind, go listen to some of your favorite music, or sing some karaoke with your friends!
