Your local coffee shop probably doesn’t use the same playlist as your favorite cocktail bar. Why? Because music makes the vibe! 

Turns out, different types of music can inspire different emotions. It can impact your mood, creativity, and maybe even your health.

So is one type of music better than others when it comes to health benefits?

If you want lower cortisol (the stress hormone), better sleep, or even less pain, there is indeed one type of music that can help: classical music!

What We Know

It sounds too good to be true (sorry, we couldn’t resist)…

…but it turns out there’s a ton of research that backs up the health benefits of classical music. Here are a few things we know it can do:

1. Lower blood pressure

Calm classical songs can help your heart recover from stress. A study done by Oxford University found that, compared to other music genres, classical music helped lower participants’ blood pressure.¹ 

Another study found that the music of Beethoven, Bach, and other classical artists can “modulate blood pressure, heart rate and respiration.”²

These benefits are believed to be tied to classical music’s ability to lower cortisol levels.³

2. Reduce pain

Researchers have found that people who suffer from chronic pain felt less pain (and less depression) after listening to classical music compared to those who didn’t.⁴

Another study found that patients who listened to classical music before, during, or after surgery, reported reduced pain and less anxiety. They also used significantly less pain medication.⁵

And newborns undergoing painful procedures in the NICU had reduced perception of pain, decreased heart rates, and quicker recovery when listening to Mozart and Beethoven.⁶

3. Improve communication

Many people struggle to put physical and mental health issues into words – classical music can help.

One study found that listening to classical music can help people open up enough to discuss personal or traumatic events, because the music made it easier to communicate their emotions.⁷ This allowed participants to benefit from a talk therapy-type situation. 

4. Help you sleep

Who doesn’t have trouble sleeping nowadays?

Listening to classical music can be a simple way to help you catch better zzz’s. One study looked at people with sleep issues and found that listening to classical music before bed improved sleep quality.⁸

And another study found that students who listened to classical music got better sleep than when they were listening to something else, like an audiobook.⁹

What We’re Still Learning

Most likely, the benefits of listening to classical music go much further than what we outlined above. But we still need more data to know for sure.

For example, listening to classical music probably helps keep your brain healthy. It’s been noted that people who listened to Mozart’s music showed an increase in brain wave activity that’s linked to memory. And students reportedly answered questions faster and better when they listened to a calming concerto.¹⁰

One very cool study found that exposure to classical music enhanced the activity of genes related to dopamine secretion, learning and memory – while decreasing the activity of genes related to brain degeneration.¹¹

And people who are pregnant may want to create a classical playlist. A small study found that pregnant people who listened to classical music regularly reported lower levels of stress and anxiety.¹²

The Bottom Line

There are documented health benefits to listening to classical music – many of them backed by science. And the potential benefits likely far exceed those currently documented. 

It’s important to note that studying the science of music is a low priority for research funding bodies, so it’s unlikely we’ll see a lot more data on the health effects of music soon. But it certainly can’t hurt to give it a shot and see how you feel!

How do I get started?