Religious Music Linked to Mental Health Benefits Among Seniors

A latest study claims that religious music offers an array of mental health benefits for older people.

The study, reported in The Gerontologist, focuses on the health benefits seniors receive from religious music. The researchers highlight that listening to religious music significantly lowers anxiety about death and also increases satisfaction in life and self esteem. Especially gospel music was linked to decrease in anxiety about death and increase in sense of control.

They observed that the association between music and improved mental health remained the same across cultural socio-economic and racial identities.

"Religion is an important socioemotional resource that has been linked with desirable mental health outcomes among older U.S. adults," the authors stated. "This study shows that listening to religious music may promote psychological well-being in later life."

For this study the researchers worked on data taken from two groups of the nationwide Religion, Aging and Health Survey of older black and white U.S. adults. The study participants included household residents both black and white, non-institutionalized, English speaking and 65 years of age.

 The responses were taken from currently practicing Christians, those who were identified as Christians earlier and were no longer practicing the religion and were not linked to any faith. The analysis focused on 1,024 individuals who were a part of both the studies.

The participants answered questions about how often they listened to religious and gospel music. They had to mark their responses on a scale that ranged from 'never' to 'several times a day'.

Based on their answers the respondents' death anxiety, life satisfaction, self-esteem and sense of control were measured. These statements included 'I find it hard to face up to the fact that I will die', 'These are the best years of my life' and a few more.

"Given that religious music is available to most individuals - even those with health problems or physical limitations that might preclude participating in more formal aspects of religious life - it might be a valuable resource for promoting mental health later in the life course," the authors wrote.

A growing body of research has looked at the effects music can have on a person's health. Studies have shown that music enhances both visual and verbal skills, keeps the aging brain healthy, strengthens heart and improves recovery time of patients suffering from heart disease and enhances quality of sleep.