Posted on 01/25/2026 9:21:05 PM PST by ConservativeMind
A new randomized clinical trial has revealed that just 24 minutes of listening to specially designed music paired with auditory beat stimulation (ABS) can significantly reduce anxiety. The research offers a promising complementary approach for people seeking accessible, non-drug-based support for emotional regulation.
Anxiety affects millions of people globally, and while medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are common treatments, they can come with barriers such as side effects, waitlists, cost and time commitment. Music-based digital therapeutics are emerging as a low-cost, highly accessible tool that can provide immediate relief from anxiety symptoms.
In this study, 144 adults with moderate trait anxiety who were already taking anxiety-reducing medication were randomly assigned to one of four listening conditions:
Pink noise (24 minutes; control) Music with ABS (12 minutes) Music with ABS (24 minutes) Music with ABS (36 minutes) Participants completed standardized measures of anxiety and mood before and after the intervention.
24 minutes emerges as the optimal 'dose' Results showed that music with ABS reliably reduced both cognitive and somatic symptoms of anxiety, as well as negative mood, compared to the pink noise control.
Importantly, the 24-minute listening session produced the strongest overall reduction in anxiety, performing on par with the 36-minute session and clearly outperforming the 12-minute version.
"What we're seeing is a dose–response pattern where about 24 minutes of music with ABS seems to be the sweet spot," said Russo. "It's long enough to meaningfully shift anxiety levels, but not so long that listeners need to carve out a large block of time."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
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“Second, auditory beat stimulation (ABS) is typically created by presenting two sine waves of slightly different (neighboring) frequency, resulting in a difference tone, which may be perceived as a distinct tone or amplitude modulation [41]. When two sine waves are presented with one in each ear, binaural beats are perceived. Alternatively, two of the amplitude modulated beat signals can be presented to either one or both ears, resulting in a monaural beat. These beats can be in the delta (1–4 Hz), theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (14–30 Hz), or gamma (30–50 Hz) ranges. Previous studies have shown listening to ABS alone to be effective in reducing anxiety, especially when the ABS has a frequency falling in and around the theta range [42,43].”
I have a cheap phone app set that has prearranged beats that hit these frequencies, and they have a couple for Theta frequencies, alone.
The apps are called Brainwave Advanced Binaural Programs (37 Binaural Series) for one and Brainwave Altered States for the one they have that has a couple Theta options. They have sounds that can play along and you can feed your own music through the apps, too. Banzai Labs makes these. Others are available, but almost all others have stupidly expensive subscriptions.
One was $3 and the set of five apps was $10 total, I think.
You can set them for a duration of just 24 minutes, to match this study.
Music doth soothe the savage beast.
So tl;dr the old binaural beats thing gets a new acronym and now it’s not spooky but ok to publish about?
Ok, if that’s what gets it over the hump I guess. BTW there are media for this from old cassette tapes to apps and YouTube and other streaming sources; it doesn’t take fancy equipment. You could roll your own with an audio program like Audacity or similar.
Is Pink Noise the accepted PC way to describe White Noise?
It would not surprise me at all.
bmk
The Monroe Institute has been researching this for many years. When I listen to their binaural beat music I can feel my consciousness shift many feet above my physical body.
Hemi-Sync Guided Meditation – The Monroe Institute https://share.google/aWPXYzER8UILYodBG
Well then, they need to mount big PA speakers onto a bunch of helicopters and blast this special music, Apocalypse Now style, as they fly low over the streets of Minneapolis and every other pathetic leftist-infested hellhole.
Breast. Savage breast. Though beast makes more sense.
In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida baby!
[blush] Oh my. All these years I've thought it was "beast". Yikes.
Although, I have also encountered a few savage breasts in my time. Soothing them with music was a challenge. Double yikes.
Taking your question at face value:
Pink noise differs from white noise in that it has a heavier contribution from lower frequencies (bass rather than treble). Lower frequencies have longer wavelengths, and you recall that red light is the lower frequency/longer wavelength color of light. So "pink" noise is just weighted more toward the lower audio frequencies.
White noise has equal energy at all frequencies, and tends to sound like it's all in the treble range. Pink noise is generated with energy as 1/f and sounds more balanced to people. It's often described as sounding like a waterfall.
Thanks for the ping. I appreciate and enjoy your posts!!
Seems related:
“So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him”. (Samuel I 16:23)
Indeed ye spake the trooth.
Do you have a link . I would like to hear what it sounds like
Wouldn’t it just be simpler to snuggle with your purring cat...?
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