music and the mind: what the literature really says

content warning:  this post discusses mental health/mental wellbeing (general topic), racism, sexism, classism, and oppression

let me start with a caveat 

Which is that this information is not meant to be taken as the end all be all on this subject.  In fact, far from it.  My current career is not as a licensed therapist or a researcher and as with any body of literature, it is best to look at the research with a critical eye and to note where there are gaps in the research (all references listed below).    

This post will also be a little more research-focused in nature.  While I imagine this blog will combine a lot of different styles and formats, I would like to think that my fellow research nerds will also enjoy the occasional blog post that looks at various literature and studies about topics I hope you find as interesting as I do.  There is a lot more research on this topic to explore, so this is meant to be a starting point only.

Whew okay, now that that is out of the way, let’s get to it.

music saved my life

I have most certainly used this phrase before when describing the immense joy, community, and rewarding experiences that music has given me in my life, especially during times of my life where I was struggling.  But is that over-reaching when it comes to the actual benefits of music on mental wellbeing?  Music is often not described as a fun hobby or nice way to pass the time, but rather as a coping mechanism, a lifesaver, and is used in different therapies and interventions in a clinical setting.

With all of the anecdotes about music changing lives, it’s simply a well-known fact that music positively impacts mental wellbeing.  At least, when I started looking into this topic, that’s what I assumed the literature would say.  However, that is not the complete picture because of course, the concept of mental wellbeing is incredibly complex, just like music itself.

Let’s explore what research actually has to say on the connection between music and mental wellbeing. 

From formal music therapy, an evidence-based, creative arts health profession, to using music groups as a way of engagement for elderly residents in assisted living facilities, and everything in between, music also has a well-researched tie to healthcare and mental healthcare.  

harmony in wellbeing: the benefits of music

There have been numerous studies that have looked at the benefits of music on mental wellbeing and overall mental health.  Group music activities can foster confidence and manage anxiety, particularly in young musicians.  Listening to music has the potential to help with emotion regulation and depression management.  Studies have also shown that “…music interventions have a positive effect on pain, mood, and anxious or depressive symptoms in both children and adults in clinical settings” (Wesseldijk et al., 2019, pp.1-2).

One other way music can contribute to mental wellbeing is something called “flow”.  Flow can be described as being fully engaged in a highly rewarding activity to the point of immersion, perhaps even losing track of time or other external factors while being completely absorbed in the activity (Chirico et al., 2015).  You may have experienced a practice session where you were completely focused and then looked at the clock to suddenly realize it felt as though time flew by.  This is flow and it has many positive impacts on creativity and wellbeing.

Music is also often used in a therapeutic context.  From formal music therapy, an evidence-based, creative arts health profession, to using music groups as a way of engagement for elderly residents in assisted living facilities, and everything in between, music also has a well-researched tie to healthcare and mental healthcare. 

With all of this being said, music must correlate with mental wellbeing, right?  As cut and dry as this all seems, there are some very interesting studies that suggest that perhaps the positive correlation between music and mental wellbeing isn’t quite the full picture. 

Classical music, especially in the context of formal music education, is still more widely accessible to a limited number of individuals because of inaccessibility based on structural oppression.

there will always be dissonance

As many stories as we hear and even experience of music being a creative outlet, a way to socialize and gain important skills, and to even assist us in our therapeutic journeys, we have also heard stories of burnout and fatigue within musical education, the immense pressures professional musicians face, and certain songs or pieces of music can even lead to feelings of rumination and less beneficial emotion regulation (Damsgaard & Jensen, 2021). 

Other factors when looking at individual experiences are the pervasive racism, sexism, and classism in classical music.  Classical music, especially in the context of formal music education, is still more widely accessible to a limited number of individuals because of inaccessibility based on structural oppression.

These points are where we begin to see gaps in the literature.  Limited sample sizes from research studies, the lack of addressing issues of power, race, oppression, and privilege within the classical music context, and ongoing stigma associated with mental illness are all reasons why the connection between mental wellbeing and music is not straightforward.

Though some of these issues can be viewed as structural and institutional issues, they are still important to discuss because they impact how people feel about and interact with music directly.

The first step is learning as much as we can about the full picture.

finding the rhythm

Does this mean that music is terrible for my mental health and that I should show my teacher this blog post so I don’t have to practice this week?  Um, not so much.  As I mentioned before, our minds and music are both complex subjects.  There is still so much we don’t know about how our brains work which can be both frustrating and fascinating. 

The first step is learning as much as we can about the full picture. We can also be aware of our own experiences and critically examine whether those experiences are reflected and represented in research and if not, why.  Music, just like many other careers/activities/hobbies, has the potential to impact our mental wellbeing in negative and positive ways.  Ignoring one side to the story ultimately does us a disservice when it comes to a long-lasting relationship with music.

references

Chirico, A., Serino, S., Cipresso, P., Gaggioli, A., & Riva, G. (2015). When music "flows". State and trait in musical performance, composition and listening: a systematic review. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 906. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00906

Damsgaard, J. B., & Jensen, A. (2021). Music Activities and Mental Health Recovery: Service Users' Perspectives Presented in the CHIME Framework. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(12), 6638. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126638

Wesseldijk, L.W., Ullén, F. & Mosing, M.A. The effects of playing music on mental health outcomes. Sci Rep 9, 12606 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49099-9