ALL IN YOUR HEAD:

The idea that melodies can comfort a troubled soul has ancient origins. Jewish scripture reports that Saul would be visited by an evil spirit that made him depressed, upon which he would call for David to soothe him with his lyre. "David would take the lyre and play it; Saul would find relief and feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him."

The academic literature tends to distinguish "music medicine" from "music therapy". The latter requires the participation of a trained expert and may involve playing an instrument, composing or improvising. Music medicine is far easier to roll out: it involves listening to recorded music and can be done by yourself.

As you might expect, the creative expression of music therapy produces the most consistent benefits, but multiple studies confirm that the mere act of listening can be an effective treatment for symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia and physical pain. Two trials have even found that a regular prescription of music can reduce the blood pressure of people with hypertension by 6mmHg. That's enough to lower the risk of a stroke by 13%.

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