The positive physiological and psychological effects of music on the health and well-being of people have been investigated in various ways, such as reducing anxiety, increasing pain forbearance, increasing sero-tonin levels and reducing depression, etc., as well as some social behaviors such as how to drive.

Music therapy dates back to ancient times. At that time, people attributed magical powers to sounds because they seemed to be able to control the soul and create and maintain life. Music therapy is defined as a process in which the therapist uses music and all its aspects to help patients to heal. The purpose of using music is active treatment and promotion of psycho-logical work of people at individual and group levels. Because the main part of music therapy is formed in the interaction and communication of people (Lehtonen et al., 1996). In the 1830s, it was an-nounced that music affects blood circulation and alters blood pressure (Aloisio et al., 2015). Knowing how music can support the listeners mental health is an important issue that is investigated in this article.

The effect of music on peoples psyche

Music can have a positive effect on mental health by regulating mood, enhancing memory, learning and influencing peoples spirit. It is very important to study the social aspect of listening to music and being a music fan, as well as the relationship between artists and their fans. Music can affect peoples emotions, memory and experience of pleasure, for example music can reduce anxiety (Knight and Rickard, 2009) in another study, this issue was proven by examining and measuring physiological signals such as heart rate reduction, cortisol level reduction, blood glucose level reduction, etc., and listening to music as one of the most successful strategies for Changing bad moods and increasing energy levels and reducing tension were introduced (Tahyer et al., 1994). Recently, scientific studies have attempted to evaluate the possible benefits of music. These research studies have shown:

1. The form and structure of music can bring disci-pline and security to disabled and anxious children, and this encourages coordination and communication, thus improving their quality of life (Perry, 2003).

2. Listening to music reduces stress and anxiety in hospital patients before and after surgery (Mok and Wong, 2003).

3. Music can help reduce chronic pain and posto-perative pain (Lee, 2016).

4. Listening to music can reduce depression and increase self-confidence in the elderly (Vincenzi et al., 2022).

5. Listening to music can reduce job exhaustion and anxiety among nurses and improve their spirit (Ebrahimi et al., 2016).

6. Music therapy significantly reduces emotional distress and increases the quality of life in cancer patients (Spiloti, 2017).

With the emergence of social media and virtual environments, communication between fans and artists has increased. Fans of a particular artist can connect more deeply with their music after following their work and empathizing with them, after realizing that their favorite artist also experiences such feelings and pain. As a result, the feeling of self-esteem, hope and self-confidence is formed as a result of this sympathy and the release of negative emotions in them, so that a person feels that his dearest and closest friends under-stand the events of his life and his inner state and help him to shout his inner state to release the psycho-logical pressure (Lee et al., 2021; Karim R., 2020).

Sometimes music specifically increases serotonin levels. Serotonin is produced through the central nervation system and has various functions, which include the regulation of mental and emotional states, appetite, sleep, and sexual activities. Serotonin also has cognitive functions, such as affecting memory and learning, and with a decrease in serotonin, a person becomes tired and depressed. Numerous studies have shown that the production of an appropriate level of serotonin is naturally relaxing and joyful, and also a person can increase his physical activity by feeling energetic and cheerful, and at the same time, the production of the appropriate amount of serotonin in the brain also makes the sleep cycle normal and regular, and in the other hand, the reduction of sero-tonin causes sleep disturbance, anger and aggressive and militant behaviors. According to the research conducted among different genres of music, we came to the conclusion that the rhythm and melody of classical music plays an important role on the structure and abilities of the human brain, and this (classical) music has a special effect on the human soul and psyche (Nouri, 2016). The meter, beat, and rhythm of classical music are the most effective factors on the performance of the listeners brain. According to the previous researches, the rhythm and melody of classical music increases the level of serotonin produced in the brain, and the rhythm of music also stimulates the natural rhythms of the body, such as the heartbeat or alpha waves of the brain. The melody of music or the number of sounds that are performed one after the other also act as accelerating sparks in the brain and as mentioned, serotonin as a neurohormone transmits nerve impulses to establish a sense of happiness, satisfaction and relaxation. If the brain reduces the production of serotonin, depression occurs, but when a factor (music) can affect the human brain to produce serotonin, it gives a person a sense of peace and joy. Following the influence of the satisfying factor of music, the brain orders the production of some serotonin, and according to the amount of serotonin produced, a feeling of happiness and comfort is created, which in fact, not only calms and expands the mind, but can also help the bodys defense system (Nouri, 2016). Music can enhance breathing and thereby reduce psychotic symptoms and change stimuli for people with mental disorders (Bailey, 2000). Also, music can be a useful way to distract from problems because people can use music to manage their mood and manage their arousal level and also use music as background noise to avoid annoying silences (North and Lonsdale, 2011).

In a research, the effects of music on driving were studied. In this research, the participants were divided into two groups and by creating a simulated environ-ment with the same traffic; they investigated peoples driving behavior under the influence of two types of soft and emotional music with a high tempo. The heart rate of these people was recorded with an electro-cardiogram device. It was observed that the drivers who received soft music had a calmer heart rate and safer driving, and in the other hand, the exciting music caused the heart rate to increase and the drivers of the second group to lose concentration, which increased their errors while driving (Yunal et al., 2013).

Music may trigger unwanted memories and trigger distress or anger (Eells, 2014). There is also research that shows that reducing labor pain is one of the effects of music because it regulates heart rate and blood pressure and improves oxygen saturation and stabilizes breathing, and as a result, reduces maternal pain. In addition, if a mother listens to music regularly, it affects the fetus and the mothers lullaby has a relaxing effect on the newborn (Martin, 2014). 

Music therapy can be utilized as an alternative medicine, that is, it can help emotional, mental, and physical health via non-pharmacological methods. Considering anxiety is one of the most common mental problems in the world and it affects all age groups, resolving this problem has become one of the human concerns. Based on the mentioned studies, listening to calming music is suggested as an effective technique to be calm and manage the mind.

We are grateful to all the dear professors for providing their information regarding this research.

The author declared no conflict of interest.