Summary: Mindfulness exercises paired with music were found to engage both neural and cardiac systems, potentially reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. A recent study showed that live and virtual music mindfulness sessions lowered stress and altered states of consciousness, though only live sessions fostered social connection.
By enhancing autonomic nervous system activity and creating a calming physiological effect, music mindfulness emerges as a promising, accessible intervention for mood disorders. Researchers emphasize its potential to offer community-based, affordable support for mental health.
Key Facts:
- Dual Action: Music mindfulness activates brain and heart pathways linked to stress relief.
- Social Boost: Live sessions uniquely enhanced feelings of social connection.
- Accessible Therapy: The approach shows potential as an affordable community-based mental health intervention.
Source: Yale
Listening to music while performing mindfulness exercises targets neural and cardiac mechanisms in the brain that may treat symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to a new study led by Yale School of Medicine researchers.
The study, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, found that both live and virtual music mindfulness sessions also reduced stress and altered participants’ state of consciousness, but only live music sessions fostered social connection between listeners.
“We desperately need community based, accessible, and affordable treatments for anxiety and depression,” said AZA Allsop, MD, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and the study’s senior author.
“Music mindfulness impacts physiology and the psyche in a way that we can leverage to manage symptoms that lead to distress and hospitalization. We are excited to test this approach in a more general manner to directly assess its efficacy as a treatment for individuals in the community with mood disorders.”
Allsop is an artist, neuroscientist, and psychiatrist who researches social cognition, music mindfulness, and psychedelics. He is principal investigator at the AZA Lab at Yale School of Medicine.
The lab investigates how music, mindfulness, and psychedelics can impact mental health and social behavior.
This study was done in collaboration with BLOOM community center in New Haven and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
Thirty-eight community participants visited BLOOM and wore mobile heart rate and EEG monitors while engaging in music mindfulness sessions with a live facilitator and musician. Allsop said the participants listened to original music composed in his lab while a live musician improvised along with the track.
Based on the heart rate and EEG readings, the researchers concluded that music listening combined with mindfulness exercise increased autonomic nervous system activity, reduced stress, and altered the participants’ state of consciousness.
Social connections were enhanced by the live sessions but not when the participants engaged virtually.
The results indicate that music mindfulness effectively engages neural mechanisms in the brain and heart which may contribute to the treatment of anxiety and depression symptoms, according to the researchers.
Funding: The research was funded by Yale Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, and Howard University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the Food and Drug Administration.
About this music and mental health research news
Author: Colleen Moriarty
Source: Yale
Contact: Colleen Moriarty – Yale
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Music mindfulness acutely modulates autonomic activity and improves psychological state in anxiety and depression” by AZA Allsop et al. Frontiers in Neuroscience
canisgallicus 