Songwriting sessions may ease student anxiety, small study hints

This study tests whether a music therapy approach called therapeutic songwriting can improve mental health and social connections in university students who feel depressed, anxious, or stressed. Twenty participants will be randomly assigned to either four individual songwriting sessions with a music therapist or a non-therapeutic music listening and discussion group. The researchers will also measure brain activity from both the participant and therapist at the same time to see how their brains synchronize during the sessions.