11.02.2023
A study indicated that there is a relationship between the practice of musical activity and psychological problems. It turned out that people with a higher genetic risk of depression and bipolar disorders were, on average, more involved in musical activity.
A recent study revealed that, on average, people who are musically active have a slightly higher genetic risk of depression and bipolar disorders.
This conclusion was reached by an international research team with the participation of the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Aesthetics in Frankfurt, Germany.
In 2019, scientists found a relationship between practicing music and psychological problems. At that time, more than 10,000 Swedes provided information about their musical activities and psychological well-being.
According to what was published by the “Scientific Reports” magazine at the time, the activists spoke more musically about their suffering from symptoms of depression, burnout, or psychosis.
Because the study participants were twins, the scientists were also able to take into account familial influences such as genes and upbringing. The research team found at the time that it was unlikely that musical activities and mental health problems were a product of each other. “This means that individuals do not practice music as a response to their psychological problems or vice versa. Rather, this association can be attributed to either shared genetic factors or the influences of the family environment,” explained the lead researcher in that study, Laura Wisseldijk.
The scientists later expanded their research to include methods from molecular genetics, and found that there was some overlap between genetic variants that influence mental health and those that influence interest in music practice. The results of this study were published in the journal Translational Psychology.
Higher risk of depression and bipolar disorders
In this study, the genetic relationship between music practice and mental health was examined based on the DNA of 5,648 people.
The analysis showed that men and women with a higher genetic risk of depression and bipolar disorders were, on average, more involved in and performing musical activity, and they achieved a higher artistic level in it, regardless of whether they were already suffering from mental health problems. . At the same time, participants with a higher genetic predisposition to music were more likely to be depressed, regardless of whether they played music or not.
The study’s lead researcher, Miriam Mossing, summarizes the conclusion as follows: “The relationship between music practice and mental health is therefore very complex in general.”
At the same time, Musing stressed that these results do not exclude the positive effects of music on mental health, adding that it is certain that practicing music has a positive or sometimes therapeutic effect on mental health.
RZ (dpa)