A July 2022 Harvard Medical School report reaffirms what multiple researchers have been saying about music, that it impacts health-related quality of life, that it provides “release, relaxation and rehabilitation,” according to the report. The article cited evidence that such activities as singing and playing an instrument as well as simply listening to music “can create significant improvements in mental health, and smaller improvements in physical health.”
A compilation of studies support a variety of health-related improvements provided by playing music, including:
• Playing an instrument can benefit the player with such life enhancements as pain reduction and improved cognition.
• Singing provides physical benefits such as improving lung function, as well as emotional benefits, like release and feelings of well-being.
• Therapists employ music as interventions to help patients with a variety of issues, such as anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, even to decrease the perception of pain.
According to a study by American Association of Retired People (AARP), music can be good for “your mind, heart, and soul”:
• Music listeners had higher scores for mental well-being and slightly reduced levels of anxiety and depression compared to people overall.
• Of survey respondents who currently go to musical performances, 69% rated their brain health as “excellent” or “very good,” compared to 58% for those who went in the past and 52% for those who never attended.
• Of those who reported often being exposed to music as a child, 68% rated their ability to learn new things as “excellent” or “very good,” compared to 50% of those who were not exposed to music.
• Active musical engagement, including those over age 50, was associated with higher rates of happiness and good cognitive function.
• Adults with no early music exposure but who currently engage in some music appreciation show above average mental well-being scores.
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