Music can be powerful emotionally. It has the ability to uplift and engage you in a way that most other things cannot. Music can reduce anxiety and depression and improve emotional expression, interpersonal skills, self-esteem and quality of life.

Studies have shown that by listening to self-selected music it can cause a heightened emotional response and can distract attention more effectively. Music can also give a sense of increased control in unfamiliar or threatening situations by acting as a stimulus that is distracting. MacDonald, Raymond A. R. “Music, Health, and Well-Being: A Review.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being 8 (2013)

Music can activate limbic and paralimbic structures, such as the amygdala, the hippocampus, the nucleus accumbens, etc. that function abnormally in patients with a high depressive component. At the psychological level music can engage several social functions, can increase communication and social cohesion and can promote empathetic relationships. Raglio, Alfredo et al. “Effects of Music and Music Therapy on Mood in Neurological Patients.” World Journal of Psychiatry 5.1 (2015): 68–78