The DOI matches its Crossref record; 106 of the 111 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The psychoneuroimmunological effects of music: A systematic review and a new model
Abstract
There has been a growing interest over the past decade into the health benefits of music, in particular examining its psychological and neurological effects. Yet this is the first attempt to systematically review publications on the psychoneuroimmunology of music. Of the selected sixty-three studies published over the past 22 years, a range of effects of music on neurotransmitters, hormones, cytokines, lymphocytes, vital signs and immunoglobulins as well as psychological assessments are cataloged. Research so far points to the pivotal role of stress pathways in linking music to an immune response. However, several challenges to this research are noted: (1) there is very little discussion on the possible mechanisms by which music is achieving its neurological and immunological impact; (2) the studies tend to examine biomarkers in isolation, without taking into consideration the interaction of the biomarkers in question with other physiological or metabolic activities of the body, leading to an unclear understanding of the impact that music may be having; (3) terms are not being defined clearly enough, such as distinctions not being made between different kinds of stress and 'music' being used to encompass a broad spectrum of activities without determining which aspects of musical engagement are responsible for alterations in biomarkers. In light of this, a new model is presented which provides a framework for developing a taxonomy of musical and stress-related variables in research design, and tracing the broad pathways that are involved in its influence on the body.
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“There is also growing evidence of the impact of music-making on neuroendocrine and immune responses in other patient populations [7]”
From Singing modulates mood, stress, cortisol, cytokine and neuropeptide activity in cancer patients and carers (2016) · cites this paper as [7]
Citations
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5 of the 111 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 6
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The role of oxytocin in music interventions: A systematic review
Busse, P., Anheyer, D., Stronski, J., & Ostermann, T. (2026) · Musicae Scientiae · doi:10.1177/10298649261419786 · Cited by 1
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Neurophysiological and biological effects of music-based interventions in ADHD: a mini review
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Exploring ecologies of musicking and pain in scenes of palliative care: Case studies with Kantele
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Rethinking Harmony: Contemporary Conceptions of Music, Health, and Well-Being
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The Neural Basis of Musical Consonance
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Metadata
- Authors
- Fancourt, D., Ockelford, A., & Belai, A.
- Affiliations
- Royal College of Music (GB)
- University of Roehampton (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Fancourt, Daisy
- Venue
- Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-02
- Volume
- 36
- Pages
- 15-26
- ISSN
- 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1997508718
- Cited by
- 316
- References
- 111
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 1.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Music Therapy and Health
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- music, psychoneuroimmunology, stress response pathways, immune response, neurotransmitters, hormones, cytokines, lymphocytes, immunoglobulins, vital signs, biomarkers, music and health
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Models, Neurological, Music, Music Therapy, Stress, Physiological, Stress, Psychological, Neuroimmunomodulation
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