Music Is Just as Powerful at Improving Mental Health as Exercise, Review Suggests

The positive impact on mental health from singing, playing, or listening to music is similar to the positive impact experienced with exercise or weight loss, according to new research.

That is based on a meta-analysis of 26 previous studies and a total of 779 people. The earlier research covered everything from using gospel music as a preventative measure against heart disease to how joining a choir can help people recover from cancer.

A growing number of studies show links between music and well-being. The level of the potential boost and exactly why it works are areas that scientists are still looking into, and that is where this particular piece of research can be helpful.

Increasing evidence supports the ability of music to promote wellbeing and health related quality of life, according to the researchers.

The magnitude of music's positive association with HRQOL is still unclear, particularly relative to established interventions, limiting inclusion of music interventions in health policy and care.

The new research used the 36-item short form survey on physical and mental health, or the shorter alternative with 12 questions, making it easier to combine and analyze the data.

The results of the studies were compared against other research that looked at the benefits of non-pharmaceutical and medical interventions.

According to the study authors, the mental health boost from music is within the range, albeit on the low end, of the same sort of impact seen in people who commit to physical exercise or weight loss programs.

This meta-analysis of 26 studies of music interventions provided clear and quantitative moderate-quality evidence that music interventions are associated with clinically significant changes in mental HRQOL.

Adding music interventions to usual treatment was associated with clinically significant changes to mental HRQOL in a range of conditions.

Even if the overall picture was a positive one, there was substantial variation between individuals in the studies regarding how well the various musical interventions worked. This is not something that is going to work for everyone.

The researchers hope that studies like this one will encourage health professionals to prescribe music therapy more often to help patients recover from illness or maintain good mental health.

For many of us, listening to music or singing is enjoyable and may not be as challenging as getting out for exercise or sticking to a diet, further reasons why they could be helpful as forms of therapy.

Future research is needed to clarify optimal music interventions and doses for use in specific clinical and public health scenarios.

The research has been published.