Music and Biomarkers of Stress: A Systematic Review

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to review literature on music and biomarkers of stress in order to (1) Identify music interventions and (2) Detail the biomarkers of stress associated with music. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed in performing this systematic review. Studies published from January 1995 to January 2020 that pertain to biomarkers of stress and music were identified through the use of the PubMed database, using the keywords: ‘music' AND ‘biomarker' OR ‘marker' OR ‘hormone'. Two authors independently conducted a focused analysis and reached a final consensus on 16 studies that met the specific selection criteria and passed the study quality checks. Results: The reviewed studies were all randomized controlled trials. Reviewed music interventions included Music Listening (ML), Meditational Music (MM), ‘Guided Imagery and Music' (GIM), and Singing. The studies showed that music is associated with a decreasing trend in cortisol, salivary α-amylase, heart rate, and blood pressure, as well as an increasing trend in Immunoglobulin A (IgA), oxytocin, and EEG theta wave, while testosterone was associated with sex-related differences. Conclusion: Music is associated with significant changes in biomarkers of stress, suggesting that it could be utilized for the development of stress reduction tools.