The slamming of a door, a cry of frustration, and a curse of anger sounded from the bedroom as a panicking student stared at the blank essay paper while watching the clock tick closer and faster to the deadline. In an ever-increasingly demanding and fast-paced world, people’s teenage years have become synonymous with the rising epidemic: anxiety. Such affliction doesn’t just occur in groups of people with anxiety disorder but is also prevalent in the seemingly typical teenager’s life. From something simple as rushing to submit a research paper to struggling to form genuine interpersonal connections with fellow peers, many aspects of daily life can be a source of anxiety for teens. While it is crucial to continue to support the well-being of teenagers diagnosed with anxiety disorders, it is equally important to recognize the experiences of those who do not have a specific mental illness but still grapple with anxiety.
Despite the increasing rate of anxiety in teens, many ignore the growing anxiety in teens without mental illnesses due to preexisting notions that teens are naturally too sensitive, immature, and emotionally weak. However, one should not dismiss the struggles of individuals simply because they do not meet the diagnostic criteria of an anxiety disorder. According to BKK Kids, the prevalence of anxiety is rising in adolescents as they face academic pressure, social expectations and the increase in addictions to social media and technology, which can elicit stress in any teenager, regardless of whether or not one may meet the clinical threshold for a mental disorder. With such anxiety left unaddressed, studies show that many teens have an increased risk of turning towards alcohol abuse, drug usage, and unhealthy engagement in sex to cope, which is detrimental to one’s physical and mental well-being. However, one can cope with anxiety with another simple, healthy alternative readily available to everyone: music.
Music has woven itself into the fabric of people’s daily lives; from the gentle melodies of the piano to the upbeat rhythms that underscore our commutes, one finds solace, peace, and connection in the presence of music. A study published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Behavior reveals that music alleviates anxiety, sadness, stress, loneliness, anger, and boredom, especially for teens. Music fosters positive emotions and decreases stress by providing relief from emotional turmoil. Research conducted by Daniel J. Levitin, an esteemed professor and author, demonstrates that “music increases the neurotransmitter dopamine, the brain’s “motivation molecule” and an integral part of the pleasure-reward system.” A 2011 study revealed, through using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), that while listening to music, dopamine increased in the brain, and listeners experienced positive emotions in the same areas of the brain where pleasure signals are registered.
Furthermore, listening to music increases happiness, and a 2016 study identified the connection between music and anxiety by studying people who fear heights. The study put participants in a virtual reality simulation of riding up nine floors in an elevator. The researchers asked one group to listen to music during the experiment while the others didn’t. The results showed that people who listened to music recovered faster from the stress of the experience than those who didn’t, demonstrating music’s ability to calm people down in stressful situations.
Moreover, many other studies support the conclusion that music enhances mood and diminishes anxiety by improving blood flow and reducing stress-related hormones, such as cortisol while increasing dopamine release. Interestingly, researcher Levitin also shows that setting a playlist on “shuffle” when listening to music can further increase dopamine release because the unexpected nature of songs coming up triggers an additional dopamine boost, and those good feelings are addictive, making the listener even happier. Moreover, music’s influence extends beyond passive listening. Studies suggest that specially crafted music, designed to induce binaural beats that synchronize brain waves to relaxed rhythms, has shown promise in alleviating anxiety symptoms even more effectively than music lacking such tones. When listened to without distractions, this tailored music amplifies the benefits derived from its therapeutic properties as a potent tool in combating anxiety. Thus, listening to music, no matter what kind, can increase happiness and decrease anxiety-triggering hormones.
The scientific findings clearly show that music benefits people by lowering anxiety for everyone, not just people with mental illnesses. Thus, it is important to see that music is an accessible and effective way to deal with stress, which is why there’s a growing movement in music therapy for everyone. According to the American Music Therapy Association, Music Therapy (MT) is a deep-rooted health profession where individuals’ emotional, physical, social and cognitive needs are acknowledged through a therapeutic relationship with music. Many musicians spoke publicly about combatting their mental health issues through music. Although music therapy is a lesser-known therapy than Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Existential Therapy, it can significantly improve coping skills and emotional regulation by decreasing anxiety. Usually, active MT, which is also known as expressive music therapy, involves the personal creation of music in any form, such as singing, composing, and playing instruments. In retrospect, people use the above-mentioned receptive music therapy every day as they choose to listen to different genres of music depending on their mood and subsequently respond to the music through the decrease of stress and the elevation of mood.
The prevalence of anxiety among teenagers is due to numerous stressors in their daily lives, which can have consequences when the stress is unaddressed, leading to harmful coping mechanisms such as substance abuse and risky behaviour. However, music is a powerful and accessible tool for combating anxiety in individuals, regardless of whether they have a diagnosed mental illness. Moreover, music therapy is emerging as a recognized profession to address emotional, physical, and social needs in alleviating anxiety symptoms. Music is accessible to everyone, thus, making it an effective way to help with anxiety, especially for teens.