Music Practice and Participation for Psychological Well-being: A Review of How Music Influences Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment

Adam M. Croom

Journal

Musicae Scientiae

Year

2015

Volume

19

Issue

1

First Page

44

Last Page

64

Abstract

In 'Flourish,' Martin Seligman maintained that the elements of well-being consist of 'PERMA: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.' Although the question of what constitutes human flourishing or psychological well-being has remained a topic of continued debate among scholars, it has recently been argued in the literature that a paradigmatic or prototypical case of human psychological well-being would largely manifest most or all of the aforementioned PERMA factors. Further, in 'A Neuroscientific Perspective on Music Therapy,' Stefan Koelsch also suggested that 'Music therapy can have effects that improve the psychological and physiological health of individuals,' so it seems plausible that engaging in practices of music can positively contribute to one living a more optimally flourishing life with greater psychological well-being. However, recent studies on music practice and participation have not yet been reviewed and integrated under the PERMA framework from positive psychology to further explore and explicate this possibility. This article therefore contributes to extant work by reviewing recent research on psychological well-being and music to offer support for the claim that music practice and participation can positively contribute to one living a flourishing life by positively influencing their emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Music and Health Institute Terms

Emotional Functioning; Engagement Level; Mental Health; Music Therapy; Music and Healing; Psychological Outcomes; Quality of Life; Wellness and Well-Being

Indexed Terms

accomplishment; emotion; flow; meaning; positive psychology; relationships; well-being; Well Being; Mental Health

Study Type

Editorial, Opinions, Position Papers

Disciplines

Music Therapy

Document Type

Article

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