• Music affects emotions, mood, cognition, behaviour, and much more! Music is used in a range of contexts related to healthcare and wellbeing.
  • Taking part in music-making, and even just listening to music, can have positive effects on a range of phenomena.
  • Heart rate and blood pressure synchronise when people sing together.
  • Stress
  1. Physiological and psychological measures of stress are reduced
  2. Heart rate and heart rate variability are affected depending on the type of music
  3. ​Cortisol (important hormone in stress regulation) levels are lowered
  • Music is fun! Dopamine (important hormone for pleasure) is involved in pleasure when listening to or playing music.
  • Oxytocin (important hormone in social bonding) levels increase when people sing together in groups.
  • Empathy increases with regular music-making, and feeling of community enhanced.
  • Reduces feelings of anxiety
  • Pain: opioids are a natural painkiller produced by the body, and are released in music listening
  • Improves cognitive function
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Olivia Foster Vander Elst, Co-Founder

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