Music-Based Digital Therapeutics for Stress, Anxiety, and Depressive Mood

Rising stress and anxiety, fueled by rapid sociocultural and economic shifts, digital overexposure, and the lasting impact of COVID-19, are driving investment in new tools for mental health designed to enhance resilience and well-being at scale. Music-based digital therapeutics (MDTs) are valuable in this space for their ability to modulate core dimensions of mental health (e.g., affect, reward, anxiety, sociality) through a globally popular and increasingly accessible medium. Here, we used a PICO (Population Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) keyword search strategy to structure Google search results, identifying twenty-three commercially available MDT technologies targeting stress, anxiety, and depressive mood in adults with music-based interventions. We organize these MDTs into five main categories based on ‘treatment’ approach: (1) Preference; (2) Affective Parameterization; (3) Affect Matching and Compensation; (4) Neural Entrainment; and (5) Biofeedback & Neurofeedback. We review support for each of these approaches, focusing on basic research in music neuroscience and music therapy, as well as applied research testing specific MDTs. We conclude that, while the empirical supporting musical-based interventions for stress, anxiety, and depressive mood is substantial, research on MDTs specifically remains preliminary but promising. More research—particularly across larger, more varied samples—is needed to realize their promise for improving human health and well-being at scale.