Claim reviewed: Listening to binaural beats may reduce short-term anxiety and help relaxation.
What do we know?
Meta-analyses and pre-surgery trials report short-term reductions in anxiety; the effect against blank audio looks large, but heterogeneity between studies is very high. Of 12 randomized trials on stress, 8 reported a positive result on at least one measure and 4 found no difference. In a 2025 preoperative trial, anxiety fell slightly more in the binaural beat group than in an unstimulated control; it fell in both groups.
What don't we know?
Some controlled studies found no effect: in a surgical trial with 90 patients in Türkiye, binaural and isochronic groups did not differ from a no-sound group, and in an online study of 58 people, 40 Hz beats did not change a single-item anxiety rating. Randomization and blinding are unclear in most studies, and adverse effects are rarely studied.
Wording we use in the app: Some studies report short-term relaxation; results are inconsistent.
Sources (6)
Garcia-Argibay ve ark. 2019 · Meta-analysis · 22 studies
A meta-analysis of 22 studies on memory, attention, anxiety and pain found a medium, significant overall effect. Listening before the task (or before and during it) worked better than listening only during it, and longer exposure increased the effect. Masking with white or pink noise did not appear necessary.
Overall g = 0.45 (35 effect sizes from 22 studies)
First published online in 2018. The abstract gives no confidence interval. Its reference list includes a study retracted in 2021 (Colzato et al. 2017, PMID 28409319); the abstract does not show whether it was included in the analysis.
Garcia-Argibay M, Santed MA, Reales JM. Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis. Psychol Res. 2019;83(2):357-372. doi:10.1007/s00426-018-1066-8 PMID 30073406 Go to source
Xiong ve ark. 2025 · Meta-analysis · 15 studies
In a meta-analysis of 15 randomized trials in surgical patients, perioperative binaural beats were associated with lower anxiety and postoperative pain scores than blank audio. Heterogeneity between trials was very high; the authors call for standardized protocols and better trials.
Versus blank audio: anxiety SMD −1.38 (95% CI −1.89 to −0.87; 14 trials; I² 91.6%); postoperative pain SMD −0.61 (95% CI −1.03 to −0.19; 5 trials; I² 75.8%)
Xiong J, Jiang X, Cai B, Zhao L, Zhang Q, Luo J. Binaural beats for perioperative anxiety and pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med. 2025;95:103299. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103299 PMID 41176178 Go to source
Platt ve Hammond 2025 · Systematic review · 12 studies
Of 12 randomized trials of binaural beats for stress, 8 reported at least one significant effect favouring binaural beats and 4 found none. Citing methodological heterogeneity and unclear randomisation and blinding, the authors concluded the evidence does not strongly support widespread recommendation and little is known about adverse effects.
No pooled effect; 8 of 12 trials reported at least one significant effect, 4 found no group differences
First published online in 2024. Not indexed in PubMed.
Platt J, Hammond L. Is non-clinical, personal use of binaural beats audio an effective stress-management strategy? A systematic review of randomised control trials. Adv Ment Health. 2025;23(2):258-286. doi:10.1080/18387357.2024.2374759 Go to source
Akkurt ve Ekici 2026 · Randomised controlled trial · 90 participants
In 90 patients undergoing impacted lower third molar surgery in Türkiye, neither binaural beats nor isochronic tones reduced anxiety compared with no sound; only isolated physiological differences appeared. Of the patients who received sound, 78.3% said they would prefer it again in future procedures.
No significant between-group differences in pre- or postoperative anxiety scores
In press; no volume or pages yet.
Akkurt O, Ekici Ö. Effect of binaural beats and isochronic tones on anxiety during impacted mandibular third molar surgery: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.ijom.2026.07.006 PMID 42471303 Go to source
Leistiko ve ark. 2024 · Experiment · 58 participants
In 58 healthy adults, 40 Hz (gamma) binaural beats did not change attention-test performance (reaction time, errors, attention networks) compared with a control tone, and had no effect on a single-item self-rating of anxiety.
No significant difference from a control tone in attention measures or self-rated anxiety
First published online in 2023. Within-subject crossover with randomized order.
Leistiko NM, Madanat L, Yeung WKA, Stone JM. Effects of gamma frequency binaural beats on attention and anxiety. Curr Psychol. 2024;43(6):5032-5039. doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04681-3 PMID 37359672 Go to source
Ostertag ve ark. 2025 · Randomised controlled trial
In patients awaiting planned surgery, state anxiety fell slightly more in the group that listened to binaural beats before surgery than in the unstimulated control group (mean relative difference 6 percentage points, p = 0.045); anxiety fell in both groups. Alpha power did not differ between groups.
Online ahead of print; no volume or pages yet. The authors suggest other comparisons, such as monaural beats, to see whether the effect goes beyond listening to music.
Ostertag J, Zinn S, Georgii MT, Niederle MB, Pinto Campos C, Schneider G, Hayden O, Kratzer S, Kreuzer M. Binaural beat stimulation as a tool to reduce preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing elective surgery and general anesthesia - results from a randomized controlled trial. Biomed Phys Eng Express. 2025. doi:10.1088/2057-1976/adfa9d PMID 40795897 Go to source
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026 · Next review: 3 April 2027