According to new research, the positive impact of singing, playing, or listening to music on mental health is comparable to that of exercise or weight loss.

This conclusion is based on a meta-analysis of 26 previous studies involving a total of 779 persons. Earlier studies looked into everything from employing gospel music as a heart disease prevention strategy to how joining a choir may aid cancer survivors.

A growing number of studies have discovered connections between music and happiness. However, scientists are still investigating the magnitude of the potential boost and how it works, which is where this study can help.

"Increasing evidence supports the ability of music to broadly promote wellbeing and health-related quality of life (HRQOL)," write the researchers in their published paper.

"However, the magnitude of music's positive association with HRQOL is still unclear, particularly relative to established interventions, limiting the inclusion of music interventions in health policy and care."

The new study's 26 investigations all used the commonly used and well-regarded 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) on physical and mental health, or the shorter equivalent with 12 questions (SF-12), making data collection and analysis easier.

The studies' findings were then compared to previous research on the effects of "non-pharmaceutical and medical interventions (e.g., exercise, weight loss)" on wellbeing, as well as research on medical therapies for health concerns that did not contain a music therapy component.

According to the study's authors, the mental health benefit from music is "within the range, albeit on the low end" of the impact shown in persons who commit to physical exercise or weight reduction programs.

However, even though the overall picture was favorable, the researchers note that there was significant variance across individuals in the experiments on how effectively the various musical interventions worked. This isn't something that will necessarily work for everyone.

The researchers hope that studies like this one will motivate doctors to prescribe music therapy to patients more frequently to help them recover from illness or maintain good mental health.

Listening to music or singing is a joyful activity for many of us, and it may not be as difficult as getting out for exercise or keeping to a diet - two further reasons why they could be beneficial as forms of treatment.

"Future research is needed to clarify optimal music interventions and doses for use in specific clinical and public health scenarios," write the researchers.

The research has been published in JAMA Network Open.