Effects of music on well-being and mental-health

Abstract

The use of music as a health treatment comes from old times. The ancient Greeks used music for treating psychiatric disorders or giving release from accumulated emotions. Nowadays where the fast-paced routine of everyday life, added to different global events such as climate change or the COVID-19 pandemic are driving high levels of social stress, boosting mental health problems, and reducing individual and collective levels of well being, there is a need to expand the number of tools to be used to address this situation. This paper conducts an empirical study, using the quasi-experimental Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique, on how musical practice can improve the quality of wellbeing and mental health, proposing public policy initiatives in this direction.