The Effect of Music-Listening on the Mental Health of College Students
Karen Wang, Chemistry major, Emory University • March 18, 2026
Transitioning into college life can be challenging and is often a period where students experience mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression. Lipson et al. (2022) found that over 60% of college students face mental illnesses. In these cases, there are many ways that students may address these difficulties, such as seeking counseling or other psychiatric services. However, at some institutions, mental health resources may be limited or inaccessible due to cost. Listening to music is a common part of college students’ lives and serves as an accessible way to process emotions and foster connection. This paper by Tague et al. (2025) explored why college-aged students listen to music and how it affects their emotional state.
Results showed that students were more likely to listen to music alone. Specifically, 31.03% of respondents reported rarely listening with others in the past week, while 47.41% reported only sometimes doing so. Music can help validate and process emotions, and this may be more effective when students listen alone, as it provides a more intimate space for engagement. Furthermore, 37.04% of students often listened to music to match their mood, and 36.11% of students did so very often. 91.67% of participants also used music to influence their mood in various ways, such as alleviating anxiety, escaping from reality, or getting through difficult times.
This study contributes to the literature on wellbeing by demonstrating that music can serve as an accessible tool for emotional self-regulation, particularly during a period of heightened emotional instability. For students, these findings can be applied directly to their daily routines by intentionally choosing music that matches or shifts their mood. In this way, listening to music can be a way for them to reflect on their mental state and ground themselves during periods of high stress. They can also use music as a tool to engage students in conversations about mental health and promote its benefits as a coping strategy, especially for students who cannot or do not wish to seek therapy. They can utilize music as a way to connect with college students about mental health and educate them on the effectiveness of listening to music. Ultimately, this study shows how small everyday practices, such as listening to music, can be an effective way for college students to regulate their emotions and find comfort and support during a time of transition and personal growth.
Author:
Karen Wang, Chemistry major, Emory University
Editor:
Mary Yeboah, Emory University
Article Reviewed:
Daniel Tague, Julia Annabi, Ruth Franklin, Emily Nielson, Clinical Implications of College Students’ Music Listening Habits and Perceptions of Personal Impact, Music Therapy Perspectives, Volume 43, Issue 2, Fall 2025, miaf008, https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/miaf008
References:
Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., Abelson, S., Heinze, J., Jirsa, M., Morigney, J., Patterson, A., Singh, M., & Eisenberg, D. (2022). Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013–2021. Journal of Affective Disorders, 306, 138–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.038
Tague, D., Annabi, J., Franklin, R., & Nielson, E. (2025). Clinical Implications of College Students’ Music Listening Habits and Perceptions of Personal Impact. Music Therapy Perspectives, 43(2), miaf008. https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/miaf008
To measure positive emotions and mental health, the researchers used questionnaires. College students were divided into two groups based on how often they ran long distances. Positive emotions were measured at four time points (T1, T2, T3, T4), which represented the start of the study and then 30, 60, and 90 days later. The running group included 52 students at each stage, while the control group included 37 students. Mental health was measured using different dimensions, including depression, obsession‑compulsion, and anxiety. This design allowed the researchers to track how regular long‑distance running might shape both emotional well‑being and mental health over time. When looking at the results for positive emotions, the researchers found that students who ran regularly had higher scores across all measured aspects, including feeling energetic, confident, and relaxed. The only category that did not show much change was the “quietness” category. For mental health, students who did not run or rarely ran had higher scores in almost all of the negative mental health areas. Their scores indicated that their levels of depression and anxiety were above normal. This suggests that students who do not run regularly may be more likely to experience psychological stress. In contrast, students who ran at least once a week had mental health scores within the normal range, indicating healthier mental well‑being. Together, these results show that regular long‑distance running is associated with better mental health and more positive emotional experiences (Feng, Zhou et al. 2020).
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Over six weeks, participants took part in weekly 60-minute vinyasa flow yoga sessions, followed by 30-minute guided meditation. Both activities were led by trained faculty members from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and conducted in a private classroom within the College of Pharmacy building. These sessions provided participants with a structured and accessible opportunity to step away from academic demands and explore the stress-relieving effects of yoga and meditation. To assess changes in participants’ stress, anxiety, and mindfulness, the researchers used three self-report questionnaires. Students’ scores on each questionnaire were evaluated before and after the intervention using numerical values and categorical scales (low, medium, and high) specific to each instrument (Lemay et al., 2019). The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) measured the severity of anxiety symptoms, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) evaluated how stressed students felt in their daily lives, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) assessed mindfulness skills across five dimensions (Lemay et al., 2019).
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This study uses an ex post facto research design, in which researchers compare preexisting groups without manipulating variables. The researcher obtained a sample of 197 children aged 8 to 12 from five migrant farmers’ primary schools located in Uzo Uwani, a rur,m al suburb of Enugu State, Nigeria, which serve a population of 3,488 children. To measure the children’s well-being and mental health in the context of Nigerian children, the research adopted and made modifications to the Children’s Mental Health Questionnaire (CMHQ) and Children’s Wellbeing Index (CWI). CCMHQ measures children’s mental health using 15 items that assess levels of depression anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and related behaviors on a four point Likert scale. CWI measures children’s well-being through six dimensions: self-acceptance, life satisfaction, personal growth, positive interpersonal relationships, adaptability, and quality of life, using yes/no response questions. Linear regression was further applied to analyze the questionnaire data and identify relationships between nutrition, mental health, and wellbeing. For the relationship between nutrition and mental health, results show a strong positive correlation between nutrition and children’s mental health in the studied migrant farmers’ primary school in the specified area of Nigeria, with a coefficient of R = 0.915. The coefficient of determination indicates that 83% of the variation in mental health outcomes could be explained by nutritional factors. With a p-value of 0.000 in the linear regression test of nutrition and mental health, it is supported that nutrition is creating a meaningful and positive impact on their mental health. For the relationship between nutrition and well-being, results show that there is a high and positive correlation between nutrition and the well-being of the children in the studied migrant farmers’ primary schools, with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.949. The coefficient of determination of 0.901 showcases that 90% of the variation in the well-being of children who share a similar background with the sample could be explained by nutrition. The p-value of 0.000 from the linear regression test again shows that nutrition has a meaningful effect on their well-being.
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