From Playlist to Prescription: The Emerging Science of Music and Health

Music is one of the most universal human behaviors—people across cultures spend hours each day listening to music to regulate mood, reduce stress, improve sleep, and cope with illness. But how and why does music have these effects on the brain and body? In this talk, Dr. Sean Young will present emerging scientific evidence on how music influences mental and physical health, drawing on studies ranging from behavioral experiments to direct recordings of brain activity. He will share findings from randomized studies on mindful listening to jazz and research showing how expectations about music genres—such as reggae—can shape emotional and pain responses. He will also present preliminary work using intracranial EEG (iEEG) to examine how the brain perceives and processes music in patients with epilepsy, providing new insights into how musical experiences are represented in the brain and linked to mood. Together, these studies highlight how specific elements of music can be harnessed to design more effective, personalized interventions for mental health and clinical care. Dr. Young will conclude by discussing efforts to advance this emerging field, including the development of interdisciplinary collaborations that bring together researchers, clinicians, musicians, and patients through initiatives such as the HARMONICS 2026 conference at UC Irvine.

Sean Young, UC Irvine

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