Ravers and festival goers often joke that these activities are their therapy, but they’re not far off the mark. It’s no secret to EDM listeners that the music genre provides a multitude of mental health benefits, but a recent study conducted by Tebra’s The Intake has confirmed what these listeners have known to be true.
The platform, designed to provide insights and strategies for independent healthcare practices, surveyed over 1,000 people and analyzed more than 68,000 Spotify tracks to discover the benefits of music for mental health. For music as a whole, a staggering 79% of people reported using it to help them get through difficult periods in their lives. Looking specifically at EDM and mental health, more than 1 in 10 people say that EDM is their go-to genre when feeling sad or depressed.
EDM triggers the release of dopamine in the putamen, which is located deep within the brain and responds to the rhythms found in music. Dopamine then enhances motivation and pleasure, which corresponds to The Intake’s findings that 74% of people feel a sense of enhanced mood when listening to EDM. This study shows that music is an incredible tool for emotional regulation, with 73% of people reporting reduced stress and 61% saying that it calms their anxiety.
You know that feeling when you’re at a rave or festival and you feel an overwhelming sense of connection and unity to the community around you? That’s called collective effervecensce, a feeling of shared purpose, unity, and heightened emotional intensity that comes up when people are part of a collective ritual or shared experience. EDM not only makes you feel more connected but happier in general, with 68% of people saying it increases their happiness levels. It’s not only the people listening to EDM who notice the benefits. Healthcare professionals are starting to take note, with about 1 in 3 believing that EDM is the best genre for improving mental health.
It’s clear that listening to EDM has a positive impact on the brain, with benefits ranging from emotional regulation to happiness to enhanced focus. I don’t know about you, but now that I know how good EDM is for my mental health, I’m going to use that as an excuse to listen to even more of it, especially live. If you feel the same, what events will you be hitting up next for your mental health?
Sources on EDM and Mental Health:
Healing harmonies: Top music for mental health. The Intake. (n.d.). https://www.tebra.com/theintake/healthcare-reports/mental-health-practices/top-music-for-mental-health
Your Brain on Music. Pegasus Magazine. (2019, October 30). https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/
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