Article Type : Short communication
Authors : Bando H, Yoshioka A and Nishikiori Y
Keywords : Psychosomatic medicine; Music engagement; Mental health; Integrative Medicine Japan (IMJ); Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
As psychosomatic medicine, music has been implicated in the contexts of biological, emotional and social influence. For mental health, benefits of music would include reducing several symptoms for various psychological and neurological disorders, such as depression and dementia. Thus, music engagement provides positive associations among QOL, wellbeing, emotional growth, social connection and prosocial behavior. Music has been multi-modal existence. It is related to various fields and systems, including emotional regulation, psychophysiological responses, cognition network, and neuroscience. Researchers study music for neuroplasticity, well-being optimism, intervention approaches, and biological and cognitive path development. Music has various power in itself, leading to human happiness.
Authors
and collaborators have been involved in psychosomatic medicine, culture, music
therapy, and integrative medicine Japan (IMJ) for years [1]. For our mental
health, engaging with music has seemed to be beneficial for quality of life
(QOL), reduced anxiety or depression. When evaluating strong and weak points,
some aspects would be focused to i) interactions with genetic factors, ii)
environmental influences, iii) mediation for brain function and iv) treatment
efficacy. Music engagement includes active musicmaking and passive listening.
They can impact human socio-emotional development for life span [2]. Such music
engagement will provide positive associations among QOL, wellbeing, emotional
growth, social connection and prosocial behavior [3].
From
genetic and environmental points of view, both of general people and patients
with some diseases have similar responses to music engagement, where such
activity will lead to positive mental health situation [4]. Through active or
passive music engagements, human can interact with music in a variety of
measures. It is associated with music perception, training and composing
abilities. Continuing music involvement will provide beneficial mental health
of one’s own adequate level. Furthermore, such music experience will bring
positive neurochemical processes which are deeply involved in reward processing
mechanism [5]. Various research has been increasing concerning music
engagement, well-being, and emotional competence. Among them, 46 qualitative
investigations showed that music involvement brought smoothing social
connection, facilitation of self-development and management of emotions [6]. In
contrast, other type of music activity such as music composing or playing an
instrument showed no apparent association of well-being. Those who have social
music experiences from earlier life show larger response of prosocial behaviors
to music.
Regarding
internalizing psychopathology, three diseases have been common, which are
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and
major depressive disorder (MDD) [7]. For these patients, experimental
investigation were conducted, but strong evidence or conclusions were not obtained
yet [8]. On the other hand, correlational reports suggested that musicians have
higher risk for psychological problems, and they can take advantages of music
engagement for help themselves [9]. RCT studies showed that music interventions
brought positive effects for anxiety and depression. For PTSD, music
interventions provided beneficial effects [10]. Furthermore, RCT showed
decreased depressive states in elderly by musical improvisation activity.
Comparative study was conducted for musician and control of depression and
music activity. Musician shows higher anxiety risk (odds ratio 1.25),
depression risk (1.21) and PTSD risk (1.13) [11]. Furthermore, amateur and
professional musicians showed higher incidence of burn out symptoms.
For
human being, music is one of the most universal measures of communication and
expression. It has been utilized for long time in the human lives, in all
cultures and ages over the world [12]. Music can be a moderator for emotional
intelligence and maintaining and progressing mental health. As one of the
cultural components, music is implicated in the contexts of biological,
emotional and social influence [13]. In the light of mental health, benefits of
music would include reducing several symptoms for various psychological and
neurological disorders, such as depression, dementia, and so on [14]. Music has
been multi-modal existence. It is related to a variety of fields and systems,
including emotional regulation, psychophysiological responses, cognition
network, neuroscience. Researchers study music for neuroplasticity, well-being
optimism, intervention approaches, biological and cognitive paths of
development [15]. Moreover, passive music listening has been common measure in
obstetrics practice. Music becomes beneficial existence, where anxiety symptoms
during pregnancy, pain control during labor, and postnatal depression are
alleviated by adequate use of music [16].
Recent
research on music for brain function has been in focus [17]. This field would
be developing neuroscience which captures large interest of health
professionals, musicians, psychologists and neuroscientific researchers. Music
has been a complex culture, function and phenomenon which can employ widely
spread neural activity. It is interconnected field of sensory perception,
auditory sensation and motor system function during passive or active music
activities [18]. Concerning music research, systematic review was performed for
psychosocial interventions. The method was PROSPERO, which has been an
international database for prospectively registered systematic reviews in the
field of health and social care [19].
Using PROSPERO, systematic review was conducted by Preferred Reporting
Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The purpose
was to improve music engagement in mental health and treatment. Among them, 26
studies were investigated and music-based interventions were divided into 3
categories [20]. They are cognitive-reflective, social-emotional, and
somatosensory groups.
As
to music use for emotional self-regulation, correlational research was
conducted. In particular, the person with neuroticism tendency seems to take
advantage of music for controlling emotional situation. By cognitive
reappraisal, positive efficacy of music on emotional regulation and well-being
[21]. A recent study showed the
self-reported instruments which can evaluate the way of using music as a
strategy for regulating emotion. Especially, middle to elder people use music for
controlling the feeling of anxiety and anger. This behavior can contribute to
develop one’s own well-being and also social well-being [22]. Each subject may
feel each emotion leading to different response. Among them, musician may have
more risk for each internalizing problem with bilateral directional influences
[23]. It seems to be required to consider socioeconomic and demographic
elements for these situations. The reason is that arts or music engagement
would be often associated with each self-esteem who has developed to the
professional education level [24].
For
latest report, partnerships among academic researchers and research-oriented
organizations or private music industries can contribute the cooperative
development and data integrity, leading to of higher quality in this category
[25]. Consequently, various investigation from music field to mental health in
psychology category will become hopefully more accurate and reliable in the
future.
In
summary, this article described current topic on music engagement from
historical, cultural, biological, musical, psychological and social points of
view. Music has a variety of power in itself. We hope further development of
utilizing music to human well-being and happiness.
Conflicts of Interest
Author declares there are no
conflicts of interest.
Funding
No grants were received concerning
this manuscript.
17.
Agapaki M,
Pinkerton EA, Papatzikis E. Music and neuroscience research for mental health,
cognition, and development: Ways forward. Front Psychol. 2022; 13: 976883.
19.
Pieper D, Rombey T. Where to
prospectively register a systematic review. Syst Rev. 2022; 11: 8.