Scientists Prove What Spotify Knows: Music Fights Loneliness

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00:00Scientists prove what Spotify knows. Music fights loneliness.

00:05A four-year University of Sydney study of 600 participants shows that music can trigger imagined social interactions,

00:12providing real companionship and helping combat loneliness.

00:16Peer-reviewed evidence confirming what many already suspected.

00:19In the study, participants imagined trips to landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, with and without music.

00:25AI analysis of their mental imagery revealed that music, instrumental or vocal,

00:31consistently sparked social narratives of connection and companionship,

00:35acting as a social surrogate that provides the psychological benefits of imagined company.

00:40Music engages the same brain circuits as real social interactions,

00:44eliciting similar physiological responses.

00:47Lead researcher Dr. Stefan Hirff explains that even without lyrics,

00:50music sparks thoughts of connection and companionship,

00:54making your playlist function like genuine social company.

00:58These findings could transform music therapy

01:00and offer new ways to combat global loneliness, especially post-pandemic.

01:05Music may enhance clinical treatments that rely on mental imagery,

01:08such as PTSD therapy or exposure therapy.

01:11The researchers released a data set of over 4,000 imagined journeys

01:14to support further study,

01:16paving the way for apps and interventions that use music to combat isolation.

01:21While the study focused on European folk music,

01:23they encourage exploring other genres and cultures.

01:26The takeaway,

01:27music not only soundtracks life,

01:30it sparks the social connections your mind creates.