University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers have found that music could prevent an estimated 800,000 avoidable deaths annually, after unearthing clear evidence that musical engagement improves overall wellbeing and health, decreasing anxiety and improving mood.
Matt McCrary, Adjunct Lecturer at UNSW’s Prince of Wales Clinical School and co-author of the study publishing music’s effect said in a UNSW news release that his study found that engaging with music induces an emotional response that has a physiological component. Any engagement, be it singing, listening or playing an instrument, can induce this response.
McCrary said that explanations of music’s capacity to evoke emotional responses are heavily debated. But, the capacity seems to be linked to the emotional connection that forms between the musicians, who design sound with emotional intention and the listeners who receive those emotions….