Music-Induced Emotional Responses and Therapeutic Applications
Summary
Music engages a network of auditory, limbic and somatosensory systems to elicit emotions that vary in valence and arousal. Acoustic parameters such as tempo, mode and harmony interact with listener‐specific factors—cultural background, prior experiences and personality—to shape affective reactions. These reactions manifest in measurable changes in heart rate, skin conductance, hormone levels and neural activation patterns. Beyond momentary pleasure, music also serves as a tool for emotion regulation, offering pathways to reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and improve mood. In clinical and community settings, structured music interventions support rehabilitation after neurological injury, enhance social cohesion among marginalised groups and modulate immune function in patients with chronic illness. Evidence points to lasting benefits on quality of life, coping with pain and cognitive functioning in ageing populations. As research uncovers underlying mechanisms and individual differences in responsiveness, music is being integrated into therapeutic protocols across disciplines—from psychotherapy and palliative care to neurorehabilitation and public health initiatives—underscoring its global relevance and practical potential.
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Music-Induced Emotional Responses and Therapeutic Applications publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in music-induced emotional responses and therapeutic applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Autonomic nervous system: The branch of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiological functions such as heart rate and perspiration, often monitored in music-emotion studies.
Bodily sensation map (BSM): A graphical representation of regions in the body where individuals perceive changes in physiological activity during emotional experiences.
Cytokine: A signalling protein secreted by immune cells that coordinates inflammatory responses and can be modulated by psychosocial interventions including music.
Emotional arousal: The level of physiological activation associated with an emotional state, typically indexed by changes in heart rate, skin conductance or hormone secretion.
Major–minor mode: The tonal framework in Western music whereby major modes are generally perceived as happy or bright, and minor modes as sadder or more introspective.
Music therapy: The clinical use of musical interventions by trained professionals to accomplish individual therapeutic goals across physical, emotional and cognitive domains.
Emotion regulation: The processes through which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them and how they experience or express them, often facilitated by music listening or participation.
References
- The major-minor mode dichotomy in music perception. Physics of Life Reviews (2024).
- Bodily maps of musical sensations across cultures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2024).
- Singing modulates mood, stress, cortisol, cytokine and neuropeptide activity in cancer patients and carers. Ecancermedicalscience (2016).
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