New Research Suggests Music Improves Mental Health and Quality of Life as Much as Exercise
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Music plays a role in many of our lives without us even realizing it. Whether we tune into The Voice for our weekly entertainment, listen to the best country songs on our way to work, or even make a trip to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, music is all around us. Since songs are so important to so many, researchers set out to find if listening to music or making music can have an impact on mental health—and what they found might just surprise you.
New insight shows that music of any kind, including singing, playing, or listening to music, can have a positive impact on well-being equivalent to that of exercising or losing weight. The meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open examined 26 previous studies composed of 779 participants from several countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
All 26 studies included in the research used the self-reported 36-item short-form survey or a shorter 12-question version, which feature short-form questions on the participant’s quality of life. The studies examined how different types and forms of music impact health, like how gospel music could have a positive impact on heart health, how choral singing in cancer survivors could improve quality of life and lung function, and the impact performing arts can have on overall health.
“It’s not surprising at all that music enhances emotional well-being. Music offers us rapid entry into a positive emotional space while providing a much-needed break from the stress of life,” says Scott Glassman, Psy.D, director of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and author of A Happier You. “Research shows that our brains release dopamine, the body’s natural reward chemical, when we listen to music, especially at the peak of our enjoyment.”
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Scientists then compared the data to other research that examined the benefits of non-pharmaceutical and medical interventions (like exercise and weight loss) without a musical component and its impact on well-being. They found musical interventions had an equal impact on mental health as non-music interventions, like exercising. And, a subgroup analysis of eight studies found adding music to existing treatment had a significant improvement on mental health versus receiving treatment without music.
Casey Strenski, L.M.F.T., psychotherapist at Sameday Health, says she isn’t surprised by these findings. In fact, she uses music during her therapeutic practices and has found music improves the mental health of her patients. She explains that music is processed in the amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates emotion, and has been found to elevate mood and pleasure.
“Music is beautifully rhythmic and engages a part of the brain in the cerebral cortex called the neocortex. It can be used to relax the brain and alter mood since the neocortex is the area of the brain responsible for cognition and perception,” she says. “Flow state is often achieved when one is immersed in their favorite song, which further can help someone get into their zone or place of pleasure or happiness.”
Though there are many theories about what makes music so great for our mental health, experts aren’t sure what it is about music that makes it so good for us—especially our brains. But, we do know, anecdotally, that it can impact mood.
“Music can be a great way to create joy in behaviors that might not always feel exciting. A great soundtrack can make a boring walk more exciting, a stressful morning more mellow, and give a hard situation some levity,” says Christine Celio, P.h.D., clinical psychologist and Calibrate emotional health expert. “There is a reason why there is that getting stuff done montage in movies—they create a narrative around motivation that many of us need to push forward.”
For example, Glassman says to consider how you feel when you exercise with music, compared to without. Recent studies have found people get more out of their workout when also listening to music, he adds.
“We should recognize too that the choice of putting on a favorite song increases the control we have over our mood. At a broader level, music shapes how we think about and remember our lives,” Glassman says. “It may be particularly effective at evoking positive lifetime memories, regardless of whether the music itself sounds positive or negative. Based on theories of well-being, the more immersed we can become in the music we listen to, the greater impact it will have on how we feel.”
The study authors say more research is needed to know for sure. But this isn’t the first time music has been associated with some great health benefits. The World Health Organization published a review that found the arts can improve health and well-being. Additionally, new research from 2021 found actively playing music, even later in life, may have a small but positive impact on cognitive functioning and lower dementia risk.
“The study of mental health and its impacts is incredibly important, and the more we learn that we can apply to help people, the better,” Celio says. “Positive changes that impact the quality of life, be music or otherwise, are always encouraging. There isn’t a mood-boosting panacea, but the more tools we have to improve our mental well-being, the more likely we are going to find something that works for us.” She adds that what resonates with one person may not work for another, so options like meditating, journaling, and exercising are all other ways to help improve mental health.
So the next time you’re feeling down, try queuing up your favorite song. It just might boost your quality of life—or at the very least, your mood.
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