Music Mindfulness Acutely Modulates Autonomic Activity and Improves Psychological State in Anxiety and Depression

Christine Ramirez ¹ Gertrude Asumpaamealayine Alayine ¹ Cyril Akafia ¹ Kamsiyonna Adichi ^1,2 Dash Watts ¹ Yizza Galdamez ³ Lisa Harding ^1,3 AZA Stephen Allsop ^1,2*

• ¹ Yale University, New Haven, United States
• ² Center for Collective Healing, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
• ³ Depression MD, Milton, CT, United States

Anxiety and depression reduce autonomic system activity measured by Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and worsen cardiac morbidity. Music and mindfulness can increase HRV and clinical approaches that use music or mindfulness show promise as efficacious treatments for symptoms of anxiety and depression. Music mindfulness combines music listening with mindfulness activities and may have unique and synergistic therapeutic effects for stress management. However, no studies have evaluated the physiological mechanisms underlying a community-based music mindfulness paradigm. We found that music mindfulness sessions acutely enhanced multiple measures of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and altered EEG power spectral density across multiple frequency bands in frontotemporal electrodes. Both live and virtual music mindfulness sessions also acutely decreased stress and altered participants’ state of consciousness, but only live sessions increased social connection. The physiological and psychological impact of music mindfulness was also different based on sex as self-reported by participants. Overall, we demonstrate that music mindfulness effectively targets autonomic and frontotemporal neural mechanisms that may treat symptoms of anxiety and depression.