‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults

Faced with heightened state anxiety, today’s youth are turning to lo-fi music for relief – but does it truly work, how and why? This study represents a pioneering initial exploration of lo-fi music and state anxiety through the lens of critical realism. It employs a mixed-methods intervention design...

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Main Authors: Melanie Pius Dsouza, Ankitha Shetty, Shwetha TS, Pooja Damodar, Asha Albuquerque Pai, Rebecca Joyline Mathias, Sara D’Souza, Neha Tanya Lewis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2388787
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author Melanie Pius Dsouza
Ankitha Shetty
Shwetha TS
Pooja Damodar
Asha Albuquerque Pai
Rebecca Joyline Mathias
Sara D’Souza
Neha Tanya Lewis
author_facet Melanie Pius Dsouza
Ankitha Shetty
Shwetha TS
Pooja Damodar
Asha Albuquerque Pai
Rebecca Joyline Mathias
Sara D’Souza
Neha Tanya Lewis
author_sort Melanie Pius Dsouza
collection DOAJ
description Faced with heightened state anxiety, today’s youth are turning to lo-fi music for relief – but does it truly work, how and why? This study represents a pioneering initial exploration of lo-fi music and state anxiety through the lens of critical realism. It employs a mixed-methods intervention design to assess the preliminary effectiveness of lo-fi music in alleviating state anxiety and explores its possible underlying mechanisms. A pre-post experiment (n = 76) followed by interviews (n = 27) was conducted on young adults pursuing post-graduate education in Karnataka, India. Results demonstrate a significant reduction in state anxiety after lo-fi exposure. Participants reported that lo-fi disrupts intrusive thoughts and promotes relaxation, sleep, and positive mental states, construing it as an antidote to anxiety. This research unearths the unique characteristics of lo-fi music that may drive this effect. Future investigation is warranted to test the efficacy of this music in youth-focused mental health interventions.
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institution OA Journals
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publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
spelling doaj-art-bec54ce68ce04e55b0ea7394d9adde282025-08-20T02:19:36ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272024-12-0129110.1080/02673843.2024.2388787‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adultsMelanie Pius Dsouza0Ankitha Shetty1Shwetha TS2Pooja Damodar3Asha Albuquerque Pai4Rebecca Joyline Mathias5Sara D’Souza6Neha Tanya Lewis7Department of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, IndiaDepartment of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, IndiaDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Manipal College of Health Professions (MCHP), MAHE, Manipal, IndiaDepartment of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, IndiaDepartment of Social & Health Innovation, Prasanna School of Public Health, MAHE, Manipal, IndiaDepartment of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, IndiaDepartment of Music Therapy, HopeStone Interventions, Mumbai, IndiaDepartment of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, IndiaFaced with heightened state anxiety, today’s youth are turning to lo-fi music for relief – but does it truly work, how and why? This study represents a pioneering initial exploration of lo-fi music and state anxiety through the lens of critical realism. It employs a mixed-methods intervention design to assess the preliminary effectiveness of lo-fi music in alleviating state anxiety and explores its possible underlying mechanisms. A pre-post experiment (n = 76) followed by interviews (n = 27) was conducted on young adults pursuing post-graduate education in Karnataka, India. Results demonstrate a significant reduction in state anxiety after lo-fi exposure. Participants reported that lo-fi disrupts intrusive thoughts and promotes relaxation, sleep, and positive mental states, construing it as an antidote to anxiety. This research unearths the unique characteristics of lo-fi music that may drive this effect. Future investigation is warranted to test the efficacy of this music in youth-focused mental health interventions.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2388787Lo-fi musicmusicstate anxietyanxietyyoung adulthealth and well-being
spellingShingle Melanie Pius Dsouza
Ankitha Shetty
Shwetha TS
Pooja Damodar
Asha Albuquerque Pai
Rebecca Joyline Mathias
Sara D’Souza
Neha Tanya Lewis
‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Lo-fi music
music
state anxiety
anxiety
young adult
health and well-being
title ‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults
title_full ‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults
title_fullStr ‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults
title_full_unstemmed ‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults
title_short ‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults
title_sort i would want to listen to it as a medicine lo fi music and state anxiety a mixed methods pilot study on young adults
topic Lo-fi music
music
state anxiety
anxiety
young adult
health and well-being
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2388787
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