Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2025

Assessing the Effects of Music Listening on Psychobiological Stress in Daily Life
Published on: February 2, 2017
Differential associations of leisure music engagement with resilience: A network analysis
Friederike Koehler1,2, Sarah K Schäfer1, Klaus Lieb1
1Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Wallstraße 7, Mainz 55122, Germany.
Background/Objective:
Several factors associated with resilience as the maintenance of mental health despite stress exposure can be strengthened through participation in leisure time activities. Since many people listen to or make music in their leisure time, the aim of the present study was to provide insights into the architecture of how resilience relates to passive and active music engagement.
Method:
511 participants regularly listening to and/or making music completed an online survey on resilient outcomes (i.e., mental health and stressor recovery ability), different resilience factors (e.g., optimism, social support), quantitative music engagement (i.e., time spent with music listening/making) and qualitative music engagement (i.e., use of music listening/making for mood regulation).
Results:
Bivariate correlations showed that subjects spending more time with music making reported better stressor recovery ability and less mental health problems, while partial correlational network analysis revealed no unique associations for quantitative music engagement. Regarding qualitative music engagement, people using music-based mood regulation reported lower mental health, mindfulness, and optimism, but also higher social support. A more heterogeneous pattern emerged for single music-based mood regulation strategies.
Conclusions:
Our findings highlight the importance of the individual (mal-)adaptive use of music, painting a more nuanced picture of music engagement and resilience.
Related Concept Videos
Gene-Environment Interactions
Relationship Formation
Social Facilitation
Social Loafing
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia

