Ett nordiskt perspektiv på forskning kring musik och hälsa

Abstract

In this article, we summarize some features of the growing research in music and health conducted in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The research traditions in the four countries have developed differently and complement each other. There is neurobiological and psychophysiological research with experimental elements, epidemiological investigations both of the prevalence in the population of people who experience music and the connection between musical activities and various aspects of health, as well as research on how different types of music listening and practicing music affect people psychologically and physiologically. Research on the role of music in emotional processing has also a central role in the field, as does the role of music in aging and in specific diseases. All of this has implications for music’s potential role in health work.