Why live music is good for your heath and wellbeing

We might be biased here at HUM, but for us, there’s nothing better than experiencing music live and in person. We believe that a great gig can be so much more than a way to kill a few hours of an evening, and thankfully, we’ve got research to back us up on that. It turns out there are plenty of benefits to going to see live music, beyond having something to talk about at the water cooler on Monday morning.
There have been numerous studies into the effects of music on pain relief, and there’s evidence that listening to music can have an analgesic effect on patients before and after surgery, which has lead some to posit the theory that music can help to control pain and stress.

The same may also be true of live music. Bright lights and blaring music might not be the first thing you think of when you want to reduce stress, but a 2016 study from Imperial College London (published in the journal Public Health) found that going to see live music reduced levels of stress hormones cortisol and cortisone.
Earlier this year, a study conducted by O2 in collaboration with Goldsmiths University found strong evidence that attending concerts could even help people live longer. Just 20 minutes at a gig “can lead to a 21 percent increase in [a] feeling of well-being,” more than twice that of a similar length yoga session. High levels of well-being have long been linked with longevity, and the report estimates that going to a gig once every two weeks could extend a person’s lifespan by up to nine years.

These are big claims for simple gig going, but there’s also plenty of anecdotal evidence for the personal benefits of live music. The 2017 UK Live Music Census found that, alongside its significant contribution to the UK’s economy, live music helps form identity, enhances mood and encourages social bonding, with one respondent reporting that she felt “part of something greater as I’ve shared something beautiful with a crowd, even if I haven’t spoken to them; it makes me feel like I’m part of a community.”
So the next time you’re weighing up the benefits of a night on the couch binge watching TV, or a night out at a gig, it might be worth asking yourself whether you’ve had your live music fix lately? It may well be just what the doctor ordered.

