Music and Binaural Beat Interventions for Young Adults: A Systematic Review of Effects on Anxiety, Sleep, and Cognition

Abstract

Background:

Young adults (19–24 years) commonly experience elevated rates of sleep disturbance, anxiety, and cognitive stress yet often underutilise formal mental-health services. Music therapy, binaural beats, and related auditory entrainment techniques offer accessible, non-pharmacological approaches that may enhance emotional regulation, cognition, and physiological stability.

Objective:

To systematically review interventional clinical trials published over the past decade evaluating music- and rhythm-based auditory interventions for mental-health and cognitive outcomes in young adults.

Methods:

A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE and PsycINFO (01 January 2015 – 01 January 2025) was conducted using the terms (music therapy OR binaural beats OR auditory entrainment) AND (mental health OR neurorehabilitation OR cognition OR anxiety OR depression). After screening 122 abstracts, 10 trials met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) and 95% confidence intervals were extracted or estimated. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB-2 tool. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251178490).

Results:

Interventions included bedtime music therapy, audiovisual stimulation, and binaural-beat exposure across laboratory, clinical, and rehabilitation settings. Most studies demonstrated significant or moderate improvements in at least one domain: anxiety reduction, stress physiology, mood regulation, sleep quality or cognitive performance (standardised mean differences 0.3–0.6).

Conclusions:

Evidence suggests that music-based and binaural-beat interventions can beneficially modulate sleep, anxiety, and cognitive processes in young adults. However, heterogeneity in design and small sample sizes limit the certainty of findings. Future adequately powered randomised controlled trials should address transdiagnostic mechanisms and long-term efficacy.