New research has revealed that listening to music can help people overcome depression.

Rather than merely diverting attention from the stressful situation in depressed individuals, music affects the brain’s stress-coping system.

Researchers from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted two experiments on 120 healthy young people, with the aim of finding out how music affects stress and the brain.

The research was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists have long known that music can have calming effects, but it has been unclear how its benefits differ from other calming sounds and at what point in the course of depression its effects are most pronounced.

In the first experiment, participants listened to either soothing music or soft natural sounds of flowing water before or after a difficult mental calculation task, which was intended to induce mental stress in the participants.

According to the researchers, listening to music before starting the task did not significantly reduce participants’ initial stress levels, but the effect of music was more pronounced during the recovery phase after the stressful task.

Participants who listened to music reported greater improvements in their mood, while several physiological indices associated with stress also returned to normal levels relatively quickly.

Note: This is an informational article, consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment of any of your ailments.