Music listening as emotion regulation: Associations with other emotion regulation strategies and symptoms of depression and anxiety

Music listening, an inherently emotional activity, is commonly used as a form of emotion regulation (ER). Although research suggests that some strategies of listening to music to regulate emotion are linked with psychological well-being and symptoms of affective disorders, the mechanisms underlying these relationships have not been thoroughly explored. The present study examined whether associations between music as ER and symptoms of depression and anxiety were mediated by individuals' use of other adaptive and maladaptive ER strategies. A nationwide online sample of US adults (n = 146) completed measures assessing their use of music as ER, other adaptive and maladaptive ER strategies, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results indicated that the overall use of music as ER was not directly associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, whereas using music as discharge (venting negative emotions by listening to mood-congruent music) was positively associated with such symptoms. Mediational analyses revealed that adaptive ER mediated the relationship between overall use of music as ER and symptoms of depression and anxiety, whereas maladaptive ER mediated the relationships between discharge and symptoms. These findings suggest that people use music as ER alongside their other ER efforts, which in turn are linked with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, although the overall use of music to regulate emotion may be beneficial for well-being via its association with adaptive ER, a more maladaptive pattern when using music for emotional discharge suggests that music plays a more nuanced role in ER and mental health.

Automated summary

This study examines the relationship between music as emotion regulation and symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as individuals' use of other adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. The results indicate that the overall use of music as emotion regulation is not directly associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, but using music as a way to discharge emotions is positively related to these symptoms. Adaptive emotion regulation mediates the relationship between overall use of music as emotion regulation and symptoms, while maladaptive emotion regulation mediates the relationship between discharge and symptoms. These findings suggest that music is used as emotion regulation alongside other strategies, which in turn affects symptoms of depression and anxiety.