Sound Bath

Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

de Witte M, Pinho ADS, Stams GJ, et al. · Health Psychology Review, 2022

Music therapy means personally tailored music interventions led by a trained music therapist, which is different from simply listening to music. This multilevel meta-analysis combined 47 studies, 76 effect sizes and 2,747 participants to measure how music therapy affects stress, looking at both physiological signs such as heart rate and psychological measures such as self-reported stress. Overall, music therapy showed a medium-to-large effect on stress-related outcomes. Effects were larger in studies without full randomization, in studies comparing music therapy with a waiting list rather than usual care, and in studies from non-Western countries. Those moderator findings are also the main limitation: the strongest effects came from the weaker study designs, so the true effect in rigorous trials is likely smaller than the headline number.

Our summaries describe what each study found. They are not medical advice, and the practices at Halcyon are not a treatment for any condition.