Claim reviewed: Listening to music before a medical procedure may reduce pre-procedure anxiety.
What do we know?
An umbrella review combining 6 systematic reviews (40 primary studies) found that music before surgery significantly reduced anxiety, more so with 20 minutes or more of listening.
What don't we know?
The pre-procedure setting does not transfer directly to everyday use, and delivery details were often poorly reported. This product is not designed for medical procedures.
Wording we use in the app: Music listening has also been studied as a support for relaxation in clinical settings; this product is not designed for medical procedures.
Sources (1)
Yang ve ark. 2025 · Systematic review
An umbrella review of 6 systematic reviews (40 primary studies) of music for preoperative anxiety: the pooled result showed a significant reduction, more pronounced with sessions of 20 minutes or longer. Reporting of how music was delivered was often inadequate.
Mean difference −5.20 (95% CI −6.32 to −4.07), I² = 49%
Yang KL, Detroyer E, Niu MM, Hoogma DF, Tian JH, Rex S, Milisen K. Music intervention as a strategy to reduce preoperative anxiety: an umbrella review. BMC Anesthesiol. 2025;25(1):410. doi:10.1186/s12871-025-03120-z PMID 40836211 Go to source
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026 · Next review: 3 April 2027