Depression Lifted by Beethoven Piano Sonatas
The gigantic annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience is currently drawing to a close in San Diego, California with a reported 30,000+ neuroscientists in attendance. One study catching the eye of Scientific American reporters is from researchers at Alzahra University in Tehran:
...a group of researchers, noting that music therapy has already been shown to reduce pain, improve sleep quality, and improve mood in cancer patients undergoing therapy and multiple sclerosis patients, wondered if music might alleviate depression as well. It does. They took 56 depressed subjects, had them listen to Beethoven's 3d and 5th piano sonatas for 15 minutes twice a week in a clean, otherwise quiet room -- and saw their depression scores on the standard Beck Depression Scale go up significantly. [I'm sure he means down - otherwise their depression is worsening!]
By all accounts depression is not the only condition Iranian researchers have been targeting with the healing power of music. They have also been investigating its use in substance abuse, Alzheimer's, anxiety and strokes.
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It's amazing how much power classical music has.
As interesting as the article is, it doesn't at all explain /why/ this works, which I think would be much more interesting. What good is hearing about psychology if you can't put it to use?
Here's my theory. People can experience 'zen' from music; It is a form of meditation. By focusing on the sound instead of on internal thoughts, the mind becomes becomes still and the body relaxes. If I was a monk, I'd say "you become the sound." This temporary turning off of stress and anxiety is probably what causes the positive feelings.
Today's music wouldn't work well because it's loud. What I mean by loud is that the frequency doesn't go up and down. With older music, our mood went along with the song, but today's music is desensitizing. It's just noise after we get used to the song. Sort of how we don't notice the loud traffic outside our homes after we've lived there for so long.
I find this interesting because for me, music plays the role of sort of mood regulation. For example, if I'm feeling angry I'll listen to rock and metal, if I'm sad, I'll listen to baroque, happy - jazz and so on...
I do it because I feel I don't have to get extremely emotional then; the music does it for me and channels my emotions by expressing for me (if I'm making sense. hehe).
Maybe it's just the beauty of the music that stirs the soul? A visit to an art gallery can sometimes have the same effect, as can dramatic scenery. Not very scientific I know!
Your mention of an art gallery makes me think it would be good to have an art gallery control group. Or I suppose, more relevant to their current study would be a pop music control group. Make another group listen to Britney Spears or Kanye West (depression would probably increase if you exposed them to this sort of ear gunk - not a fair comparison!)
I went to iTunes and got the album. Too soon to say for sure, but it does seem to lift my mood and level me out.
I'm wondering why they chose Beethoven, and why these particular pieces.
For me at least, these pieces kept my attention. A lot of classical music just doesn't hold my attention, but these sonatas are moody moody moody---yet they always come back to home base. Mozart or someone else might do the same thing, but I don't think I'd sit through it for long---too predictable.
Go on. If you going to report on it... At least make a sop of an attempt to convince us that the original researchers had (or hadn't) shown that this wasn't...
* Placebo effect.
* Effect of somebody anybody trying something anything at least they're paying attention at last.
* Beethoven working better than say Bach, britney spears, Iranian folk tunes, dentist drills, podcasts...
* Not listening to depressing news casts about the US threatening again to bomb Iran..
Wow, classical music amazing... I'm a high school psychology student, and I also play the violin (lots of classical music!), so this article is very interesting. I heard that also Mozart's compositions are very soothing.
The comments by other people are quite of interest. (e.g. placebo effect)
Anon, I'm afraid there's no more information available on this study (I looked). So, yes, all those alternatives you quote are possibilities.
I don't care if it is a placebo effect as long as it works.
However,if it it a placebo effect which works only under the study conditions and
perhaps not when the patient tries it in his/her own home environment
it would not be of lasting benefit.
This is either bad science or bad reporting or both. You can't take 56 people, treat them all the same way, and draw any conclusions! Because you have no idea if these people would have had their depression scores improved on their own anyways without any intervention.
There must always be a comparison group of some sort to begin trying to infer some hint of causation.
A much better study would be to randomize the people into two groups of 28 people each: one group gets twice a week Beethoven for 15 minutes in a clean, quiet room, the other group gets twice a week of silence for 15 minutes in a clean, quiet room. Then see if there are any differences between these two groups.
(Other control conditions are possible, such as suggested by the other posts: pop music or non-Beethoven classic music. Another way to design this experiment would be split them into 3 groups, one Beethoven, one non-Beethoven, and one group that doesn't even get the clean quiet room at all... but the problem is you'd have fewer people per group and less likely to see an effect if one exists).
Regardless, the way this webpost is written is ridiculous: if the research actually didn't have a control group of any kind, the webpost should mention that as making the conclusion very difficult to believe. And if there was a control group but the webpost failed to report it, then that's just sloppy, misleading reporting.
Anon, yes, you make the same points as the previous Anon.
Listening to music is a subconscious activity. Depression is a condition of the conscious Self. So, when we listen to music for the sake of listening to music, especially when depressed or sad, then we slip in to the subconscious. So, of course there will not be any depression, just as one is "not depressed" when they fall asleep. However, I would agree with some lasting, even though, short-term, affect on depression whem embracing the Self, because one took a break and a breath, which is the best tool for dealing with the long, hard road of depression.
--Brian Woodward Ph.D.
Historically, Ludwig Van Beethoven was very depressed as a child. In fact, when a child... the only way he became at all good at the piano is because his father made him practice. Many times, Mr. Beethoven would come home late at night drunk. He would literally drag young Ludwig to the piano and force him to practice until dawn. When played wrong notes, he would be beaten and told to play it again. Finally, Ludwig would be allowed to go to bed to the sound of morning church bells. Mr. Beethoven did this to his son because he noticed that Ludwig did have a talent for music and Mr. Beethoven became determined to make his son the next Mozart.
Having gone through this trauma through out his childhood, Ludwig naturally became very good at playing the piano. Since music was really the only thing he had ever known, music became his life long career. Beethoven loved music, yes, but have you ever really listened to his music. Other than his 2nd Concerto, all of his music is very depressing. Many of his works are in minor, or if in major, he had the incredible talent of making it sound gloomy. I believe his style of music is due to how he became to love music, and how he viewed the world around him.
I do not see how listening to depressing music by Ludwig Van Beethoven would help improve anyone’s attitude. If you want to improve your attitude, listen to Mozart, many works by J.S. Bach, Leroy Anderson, or any music that gives you that “feel good” feeling.
-Brian Moon
University of Alaska Anchorage
Studies have found that listening to quiet classical music produces every effect shown in "meditation" studies. One suspects it is the process of sitting still for a period of time, not asleep, but not engaged in anything focused such as reading. Music and mantras basically preventing boredom, while the actual healing agent: rest, has its effect. If you try this at home, try to get comfortable because the body cues on "elbows" and "knees" being immobile to determine if it is resting.