The impact of music on the wellbeing of older adults

Abstract

There have been many reported benefits of music on the wellbeing of younger adults, such as, stress reduction, and helping to provide a sense of community (Schäfer et al., 2013). However, there is a paucity of studies on the benefits of music on the wellbeing of older adults. Studies have shown that older adults use music for various purposes such as mood regulation and as an activity of leisure (Laukka, 2007). The aim of this study was to explore the impact that music has on the wellbeing of the older generation. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted on Maltese older adults aged between 71 and 75. These were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Four themes and 16 sub-themes were generated. These themes focused on motivation for music listening, the emotional impact, behaviours in music listening and nostalgic effects. Findings demonstrated that older adults are motivated to listen to music for various reasons including for, company, to help them finish a task, and as a source of pleasure. The behaviours that the participants engaged in during music listening were explored, such as the frequency and the engagement when listening to music. The impact of music on the emotions of the listener like mood alteration were explored. Finally, the nostalgic effects, such as the memories evoked by songs were discussed.