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A new randomized clinical trial from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) found that listening to just 24 minutes of personalized music paired with auditory beat stimulation (ABS) lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol more than twice as much as pink noise, a popular sound used for relaxation. Yet participants reported feeling equally calm after both.

The findings show that subjective and physiological measures can reveal different aspects of the response to an auditory intervention, highlighting the value of assessing both.

The paper, "Differing subjective and psychophysiological response patterns to a music-based auditory intervention for anxiety," is published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology.

The research offers new insights into the potential of music-based technologies, from streamlining playlists to personalized audio, as accessible, nondrug approaches to managing anxiety and supporting emotional regulation.

Anxiety is particularly common among young adults and university students, many of whom face barriers to treatment, including cost, stigma and time commitments. As sounds like pink and brown noise become increasingly popular for relaxation, sleep and concentration, TMU researchers are looking beyond how people say they feel to better understand the body's biological response to stress.

TMU psychology professor Frank A. Russo and his research team conducted the study with 83 undergraduate students who reported at least one recent symptom of generalized anxiety.

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