Have you ever turned on your favorite song after a particularly stressful day and immediately felt a wave of calm wash over you? Much more than just entertainment, music has the potential to change biological processes in our bodies in ways that might improve our physical health and mental well-being.
Listening to music on your own can be good for your well-being, but music therapy—under the guidance of a credentialed music therapist—is a specific evidence-based practice that harnesses the healing power of music to accomplish individualized goals, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing pain and anxiety from surgery, or jogging memories in people with dementia.
Using music to promote health is far from a new concept. Benjamin Rush, MD, who is called the “Father of American Psychiatry,” recognized the benefits of music for treating medical conditions in the early 1800s. We’ve come a long way since then. Today, more than 8,000 certified music therapists are practicing in the United States.
Music therapy is considered a complementary therapy, which means that it’s an add-on to conventional treatments like medication, not a substitute for them. Here are a few of the conditions that music might help, and the evidence to back up this therapy.
Depression
An estimated one in 12 adults in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode in 2021, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Music could be a useful addition to traditional depression treatments like medication and psychotherapy because it creates an environment where people can gain insights into and express their emotions more freely.
A 2017 Cochrane review of nine studies looked at the effects of music therapy on 421 people, from teens to older adults, with symptoms of depression. The researchers found that music therapy combined with “treatment as usual” more effectively relieved symptoms than treatment as usual alone.
The study couldn’t determine whether listening to music or performing it was better for improving mood, but an analysis published in PLOS ONE in 2020 did find that certain kinds of music therapy were more helpful for depression than others. Re-creative music therapy (an “active” type of music therapy, where participants sing or play an instrument along to a song) and guided imagery with music (where they listen to music while imagining a calming scene in their mind) reduced depression better than other music-based methods.
Heart disease
Many of the estimated 18 million Americans with coronary heart disease live with stress, fear, and uncertainty about their condition. These emotions can trigger the release of hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine, which, as part of the sympathetic nervous system, boost blood pressure and heart rate and put more strain on the heart. Music may help counteract this process by calming the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn reduces heart rate and blood pressure.
A Cochrane review in 2013 of 26 studies that included nearly 1,400 people with coronary heart disease found that listening to music reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number) and heart rate. There is also evidence that music might improve anxiety in people who are hospitalized after a heart attack. The authors say more research is needed to determine which types of music work best for heart disease.
Surgery pain and anxiety
Music’s calming effects on the nervous system could also be helpful for people undergoing surgery. Many people who have a surgical procedure experience pre-surgical anxiety, and most have post-surgical pain. The main option for managing these problems has been pain relievers and sedatives, which come with side effects and a risk of dependence. Music therapy might offer a safer alternative to medication or allow for less drug therapy.
Studies show that listening to music before, during, or after surgery reduces anxiety and pain. Pre-surgery, music appears to be more effective for anxiety, while post-surgery it helps more with pain. The type of music (slow, soft, upbeat) may not matter as much as the listener’s preference, so choosing what you enjoy most might offer more of a benefit.
Dementia
In 2021, 95-year-old Tony Bennett performed two sold-out shows with Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall. Though the famous crooner had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease five years earlier, he “just turned on,” said Gaga, and deftly sang his way through more than a dozen songs.
The ability to remember melodies and lyrics when other memories have been lost isn’t unique to Bennett. Studies have revealed that the brain preserves musical memories long after cognitive function has declined. Listening to music might even help people with Alzheimer’s disease recall lost memories.
Researchers have a few theories about how music improves not only thinking ability but also mood in people with dementia. For one, it may generate new nerve cells and connections in the brain. Music also stimulates the release of dopamine, a brain chemical that is involved in feelings of pleasure.
A 2018 Cochrane review of 22 studies found evidence that therapeutic music interventions enhance well-being, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve behavior in people with dementia who live in long-term care facilities. But because the quality of studies on music therapy for dementia hasn’t been consistent, more research is needed to confirm its benefits.
Cancer
Both cancer and its treatments can have a profound impact on quality of life. Fatigue, difficulty sleeping, depression, and emotional distress are common experiences among cancer patients. Music may be helpful for relieving anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue. Listening to music might also make cancer patients feel more hopeful about their situation, according to some research.
Pregnancy and labor
Labor is the most painful experience in many women’s lifetimes. Music therapy could be a helpful add-on for easing labor pain, as well as for relieving anxiety during childbirth, according to a 2020 review—especially for first-time mothers. But because many of the studies included weren’t high quality, the researchers couldn’t make any clear recommendations about whether, or how, to use music therapy during labor.
Music also shows promise for helping mothers bond with their babies during pregnancy. According to a study of 172 pregnant women published in the Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics in 2021, expectant moms who sang or listened to music had higher levels of oxytocin (a hormone linked to mother-child bonding) and lower levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in their saliva after the music intervention than before it. The mothers who listened to music also felt more relaxed and closer to their unborn baby.
More uses for music therapy
In addition to the conditions listed above, there’s some evidence that music therapy may be helpful for managing:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Strokes
- Substance use disorders
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Learning disabilities
Tuning in
According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapists have a bachelor’s or higher degree in music therapy from an AMTA-approved college or university program, including 1,200 hours of clinical training and an internship. To practice professionally as a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC), they must then pass a national exam given by the Certification Board for Music Therapists and complete continuing education credits every five years. Some states offer licensing.
You can find music therapy in a variety of settings, including senior centers, clinics, and schools. Music therapy may also be offered as part of treatment at a hospital or cancer center.
When you meet with a music therapist for the first time, they will evaluate your needs and goals, and determine how many sessions you’ll need to achieve them. They may also coordinate care with your other healthcare providers.
During the sessions you can work one-on-one with a music therapist or as part of a group. Music therapy is done in various ways: In receptive interventions, you listen to music your therapist makes or plays from a recording and may discuss your feelings about it. In active interventions, you make music yourself by singing or playing instruments, sometimes improvising. Music therapy may also involve simply moving to music.
BOTTOM LINE: Music therapy isn’t proven to treat or cure any medical condition. You won’t necessarily see dramatic results, or any results at all, and how much of a benefit you may get depends a lot on your condition and goals. But given that music therapy is safe and usually enjoyable—and that you don’t need any particular musical talent or skills to engage in it—it could be worth trying to see if it helps you.
