When you’re feeling overwhelmed, dealing with racing thoughts, or having trouble winding down, you’re likely to want to find a simple yet affordable way to calm down. While therapy is recommended for managing anxiety in the long-term, having quick, helpful coping strategies you can rely on between sessions is critical.
New research shows that your favorite tunes can be more than entertainment — they can be therapeutic, too. Listening to music for about 24 minutes may be the “sweet spot” for relieving anxiety.
Keep reading to learn more about the study findings and how you can try this method for yourself.
A short music session may help ease anxiety, and researchers say there’s a “sweet spot” for how long to listen.
A clinical trial found that listening to specially designed music for 24 minutes can significantly reduce anxiety symptoms. The music was paired with auditory beat stimulation (ABS), a type of sound pattern meant to influence brain activity.
The study, led by researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University, included 144 adults with moderate anxiety. All were already taking medication to manage their symptoms.
Researchers wanted to see whether listening to music with ABS could offer extra relief and how long people needed to listen to get the best results.
Participants were divided into four groups. Each group listened to a different type or length of sound:
Before and after listening, participants completed tests to measure anxiety and mood.
Compared with pink noise, which sounds like a waterfall, rain, or ocean waves, the results showed that music with ABS helped reduce both cognitive and physical symptoms of anxiety. (Examples of cognitive symptoms include uncontrollable thoughts and trouble concentrating, while physical symptoms may manifest as nausea or chest pain.)
People also reported feeling less negative after listening to music with ABS.
The 24-minute session showed the strongest overall results. It worked just as well as the 36-minute session and better than the 12-minute version.
“What we’re seeing is a dose-response pattern where about 24 minutes of music with ABS seems to be the sweet spot,” said study co-author Frank Russo, a psychology professor at
Toronto Metropolitan University.
“It’s long enough to meaningfully shift anxiety levels, but not so long that listeners need to carve out a large block of time,” he added in a news release.
Anxiety affects millions of people worldwide, researchers said. Common treatments include medication and therapy, but these options can take time, cost money, or cause side effects.
Researchers say music-based tools could offer a simple, low-cost way to help people manage symptoms.
The study was recently published in the journal PLOS Mental Health.
Auditory beat stimulation, or ABS, is a non-invasive technique that involves rhythmic sound patterns to influence brainwaves and regulate cognitive processes. It may help reduce anxiety and stress and improve mood.
ABS for managing mental health symptoms is still an emerging science, not a cure.
The 24-minute mark appears to be the sweet spot for reducing anxiety symptoms with ABS and music. While all durations (12, 24, and 36 minutes) showed benefits over neutral background sounds like pink noise, the 24-minute sessions offer the best balance of effectiveness, performing just as well as 36 and significantly better than 12 minutes.
When using the “24-minute” method, consistency and practicality are key to effectiveness. Because the session is short, you could easily fit it into your daily routine, doing it during a lunch break, on your commute, or as you wind down for bed.
So what do these findings mean for Black patients? Research shows that anxiety is a mental health condition that is understudied, underdiagnosed, and undertreated among Black patients. These disparities stem from several factors, including cost, stigma, and limited access to quality mental healthcare.
While not a replacement for professional treatment, music can be an empowering tool to manage anxiety symptoms. It’s accessible, low-cost, and culturally relevant, as music already plays a large role in daily life.
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Want to try the 24-minute method yourself?
Here are some practical tips you can use:
If you want to amplify the experience, pair the music with deep breathing, journaling, or meditation.
It’s important to highlight a few limitations of the study. For one, participants were already taking anxiety medication prior to joining the study. This factor highlights the fact that the 24-minute listening method is not a replacement for therapy or medication.
The study also focused on people with moderate anxiety, so the results may differ for those with mild or severe symptoms.
If you have persistent anxiety that’s affecting your daily life, it’s best to speak with a licensed healthcare provider.
Small habits — like listening to music — can make a significant difference in your mental well-being. Music is a tool that many people already have access to and can easily incorporate into their daily routine to relieve stress and anxiety. This latest research shows that finding relief doesn’t always have to be complicated — it can be a small part of your day that leaves a huge mark.
More information
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has tips for managing anxiety.
SOURCE: Toronto Metropolitan University, news release, March 16, 2026
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