Music & wellbeing

Music lets us feel and express emotions that might otherwise stay stuck inside. A sad song can help you finally cry. An upbeat song can give you a push when you feel flat. A song you love can bring back a good memory in seconds.

In studies of people living with depression, adding music activities to their usual care helped improve their symptoms.

A 2017 Cochrane review pulled together 9 studies with 421 people, from teens to older adults. Music therapy added to usual care eased depression and anxiety in the short term and helped with daily functioning, compared with usual care alone. The authors said more and larger studies are still needed.

Harvard Health suggests a simple trick: when you feel down, put on a happy tune, and when you need energy, choose something upbeat.

When you are stressed, your body gets ready to fight or run. Your heart speeds up, your muscles tense and your breathing gets quick. Many people find that slow, rhythmic music gives their body a calmer pace to follow, helping breathing slow down and muscles loosen.

In a Cochrane review of 52 trials with 3,731 people living with cancer, music may also have slightly lowered heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure. The changes were small, but they show the body really does respond.

Upbeat music works the other way. It can wake your body up and get you moving, which is why so many people exercise or clean to music.

Notice what music does in your body

• Do your shoulders drop?
• Does your breathing slow down or speed up?
• Do you feel like moving, or like resting?

A 2020 review of 104 studies, with 9,617 people, looked at music and stress. Music had a small-to-medium effect on stress in the body, like heart rate. It had a medium-to-large effect on stress in the mind, like worry and tension.

A 2022 review in JAMA Network Open combined 26 studies with 779 people (average age 60). Listening to music, singing and music therapy were all linked with meaningful gains in mental quality of life, and a smaller gain in physical quality of life. No single type or “dose” of music worked best for everyone.

Research on music and health is still growing, and not every study is strong. But the overall picture is encouraging, and music is low-cost and low-risk for most people.

Music helps people bond. When people sing, play or dance together, they breathe, listen and move in time. That shared moment can build a deep sense of belonging.

Feeling connected to others is good for your health. It can lower the risk of depression and anxiety and help with managing stress.

After a fight, your body can stay in fight-or-flight mode for a while. Your heart is racing and your mind keeps replaying what was said. Calm music can help your muscles relax and give your mind space to cool down before you talk again.

Try this

1. Step away somewhere quiet, if you can
2. Put on one slow song you already know
3. Breathe out slowly with the music
4. When the song ends, check in: am I calmer?

Going from one thing to the next can be hard: getting out of bed, leaving for school or work, starting homework, coming home. Playing the same music at these moments helps your brain know what comes next. It can make the change feel smoother.

Ideas

• A “getting ready” playlist for mornings
• A commute playlist to leave work behind
• A “start homework” song that means focus time
• A “home now” song to help you unwind

In moments of panic, shutdown or big overwhelm, thoughts can race. Familiar music with a steady beat gives your brain something predictable to follow. That can help break the spiral and help you feel safer inside.

Research reviews suggest music can lower anxiety in stressful settings, such as people waiting for surgery.

Try this

• Keep 3 to 5 “safe songs” saved where you can find them fast
• Tap the beat on your leg or count it quietly
• Breathe in for a few beats and out for a few more
• Name one thing you can hear in the song

Before a test, a game, an interview or a hard conversation, upbeat or empowering songs can boost motivation and alertness. Think of it as getting your mind into “ready” mode.

Ideas

• Pick one “power song” that makes you feel strong
• Listen on the way there, not right up to the last second
• Pair it with a few slow breaths at the end

When you feel overstimulated or mentally drained, loud or busy music can be too much. Low-key sound can help instead: soft ambient music, gentle tunes with no words, or nature sounds like rain and waves.

Energizing music in the morning and soothing music at night can become signals for your brain. Over time, your body starts to link those songs with “wake up” or “wind down.” That gives your day a steady rhythm.

• Morning: bright songs while you get ready
• Evening: slow, soft songs with fewer words
• Keep it the same most days, so it becomes a habit

After stress, your body can stay revved up. Slow, steady music can help your muscles loosen and your thoughts settle.

What to look for

• A slow, steady beat
• Soft instruments, or songs with few words
• Songs you already know and like
• Nothing linked to what upset you

When anxiety rises, the familiar feels safe. Songs you know by heart give your mind a steady path to follow, so worries have less room to grow.

Tips

• Choose songs you know well, not new ones
• Pick a steady beat you can tap along to
• Hum or breathe along softly
• Use headphones in busy places, at a safe volume

Anger is a normal feeling. It needs somewhere safe to go. Some people find strong, driving music helps them let anger out through movement, like walking fast, dancing or drumming along.

The key is to finish with something calmer. End your anger playlist with a few slower songs, so your body can come back down.

When you feel sad, cheerful music can feel wrong. Start with songs that match the mood, so the feeling can be let out. When you are ready, shift slowly to more hopeful songs.

A song can say what you can’t find the words for. That alone can make you feel less alone.

Some songs carry a message of strength, healing or hope. Others just remind you of a happy time. Keep these together, so you can find them on days when hope feels far away.

Ideas

• Songs with lyrics that feel like encouragement
• Songs from a happy trip, party or celebration
• Songs a loved one shared with you
• Songs from your culture, faith or childhood

Upbeat music can make chores, workouts and walks feel easier. It gives your body a rhythm to move to, and time seems to go faster.

Ideas

• A cleaning playlist that makes chores go faster
• A walking mix with a bouncy beat
• A morning mix to get out the door

When you feel scattered or far away from yourself, gentle sounds can help bring you back to the present moment. Rain, ocean waves, birdsong and soft music with no words are good choices.

Use it for

• A 5-minute “music pause” between tasks
• Prayer, mindfulness or quiet time
• Journaling or drawing

Singing asks you to take deep breaths and let them out slowly, a lot like a breathing exercise. And it is hard to keep worrying while you are trying to remember the words.

Easy ways to start

• Sing along to one favorite song a day
• Sing while you cook or clean
• Sing lullabies or silly songs with kids

Humming is singing with your mouth closed. Because you hum on the out-breath, it naturally makes your breath out longer. Long, slow out-breaths are part of many calming breathing exercises.

Try a humming breath

1. Breathe in gently through your nose
2. Hum one low, steady note as you breathe out
3. Notice the buzz in your lips, face and chest
4. Repeat 5 times

Drumming lets big feelings out through your hands. The steady beat also gives your mind something simple to focus on. You can drum alone or in a group drum circle.

No drum? Try

• A table, a bucket or your knees
• A jar of rice as a shaker
• Two wooden spoons on a pot (gently!)

Playing an instrument takes focus, so it pulls your attention away from stress. Learning a new skill is also one of the NHS’s five steps to better mental wellbeing.

Low-cost ways to start

• Free video lessons online
• A free music-making app on your phone
• Borrowing an instrument from a friend, school or library
• Community classes for beginners

Writing a song is like journaling with a beat. It helps you name what you feel and shape it into something you made. Songwriting is also one of the tools music therapists use.

A simple start

1. Pick a tune you already know
2. Write new words about your day or a feeling
3. Don’t worry about rhymes, just be honest
4. Sing it, or keep it private. Both count.

A 2022 review of 13 studies, with 1,007 people with sleep problems, found that music helped people feel they slept better. It did not change how severe their sleep problems were.

Bedtime music tips

• Use the same calm playlist each night, so it becomes a sleep cue
• Choose slow, soft songs with few or no words
• Keep the volume low and set a sleep timer
• Try speakers instead of earbuds, so you don’t sleep with them in

For many people, music without words makes it easier to focus. Songs with lyrics can compete with reading or writing, because your brain tries to follow the words.

Try

• Soft instrumental or ambient music
• Nature sounds, like rain
• The same “study playlist” every time, so it becomes a focus cue
• Silence, if music distracts you. Everyone is different.

A “music pause” is a short break that lasts one song. Stand up, stretch, look out a window, and just listen. When the song ends, you go back to your task a little fresher.

Good times for a music pause

• Between classes, meetings or chores
• When you notice your shoulders are tight
• When you have read the same line three times

In a choir, everyone breathes and sings together. Your voice becomes part of something bigger. Many community, school and faith choirs welcome beginners.

Where to look

• Places of worship
• Schools and colleges
• Libraries and community centers
• Senior centers, which often have singing groups

Playing music with others teaches you to listen and take turns. It can also build friendships with people who share your interest.

Ideas

• A school or community band
• A beginner drum circle
• Jamming with friends in a garage or living room
• Karaoke night with family

Being in a crowd that sings the same song can give a strong feeling of togetherness. Free local options are everywhere: park concerts, school shows, street fairs and festivals.

Sending a song to a friend is a small, kind way to stay in touch. Making a shared playlist with family can help you learn more about each other.

Ideas

• Swap “songs of the week” with a friend
• Ask a grandparent about the music they loved growing up
• Make a family road-trip playlist where everyone adds a song

Familiar songs can bring back memories and spark conversation. For older adults living with dementia in care settings, studies suggest music activities probably ease low mood.

Playing an older loved one’s favorite songs, or singing together during a visit, can be a warm way to connect.

In the U.S., music therapists finish a bachelor’s degree in music therapy from an approved program, including 1,200 hours of clinical training and an internship. Then they pass a national exam to earn the MT-BC credential (Music Therapist–Board Certified). Some states also require a license.

Questions you can ask

• Are you board certified (MT-BC)?
• Have you worked with people my age or with my concerns?
• Are sessions one-to-one or in a group?
• How will we know if it is helping?

Cleveland Clinic describes two broad kinds of music therapy. In active sessions you make the music: singing, playing simple instruments, making it up on the spot or moving to it. In receptive sessions you listen and then talk about the music or the lyrics with your therapist.

Before starting, a therapist usually asks about your emotional, physical and social needs, your musical tastes and your life history, including any trauma. That helps them choose music that feels safe for you.

A Cochrane review found no clear evidence that making music works better or worse than listening. Choose the style that feels right for you.

Music therapy is usually used alongside other care. Cleveland Clinic lists areas such as dementia, stroke and brain injury recovery, Parkinson’s disease, cancer care, autism, mood and anxiety concerns, learning differences, pain and substance use recovery.

In a Cochrane review of 52 trials with people living with cancer, music may have helped with anxiety, pain, tiredness, low mood and quality of life. Most trials had weaknesses, so the authors urged caution.

Try saying

• “This song made me think of you.”
• “Want to listen to something together? No need to talk.”
• “What music helps you when things are hard?”
• “Can I make you a playlist for this week?”

Asking about someone’s music is a gentle, low-pressure way to learn how they are really feeling. People often share through a song what they can’t say directly.

• Mocking their taste: music can feel very personal
• Insisting on “happy” music when they feel sad. Matching their mood first often feels more caring
• Playing songs linked to a loss or painful memory without asking
• Treating music as a fix. It helps, but it does not replace care

• Make a calm-down or hopeful playlist for them
• Invite them to a free park concert, choir or drum circle
• Sing or hum together with kids at bedtime
• Play an older relative’s favorite songs during a visit
• Offer a ride to a music group or music therapy session

For older adults living with dementia in care settings, music activities probably ease low mood, so familiar songs can be a warm part of a visit.

If someone stops enjoying music they used to love, or pulls away from music groups and friends, it may be a sign they are struggling. Check in kindly and ask how they are, without judging.

Supporting someone can be tiring. Keep your own calm-down playlist, take a “music pause” after hard conversations, and stay connected to people who lift you up.

Harvard Health notes that pairing music with movement and other people may bring the biggest benefit, like dancing or a group exercise class.