The role of active music making in fostering Resilience

Pauline Sophie Heck¹Wiebke Reinhardt¹Andrea Bischoff²Stefan Koelsch^1*

• ¹Bergen University College, Bergen, Norway
• ²Independent Author, Essen, Germany

Previous studies suggest a positive association between engagement with music and psychological resilience, yet most existing research has focused on specific populations or isolated aspects of musical activity or resilience. The present study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between musical sophistication and resilience in a diverse adult sample recruited across several countries. Using an online survey, we assessed 392 healthy participants and 84 individuals with depression. Partial correlations confirmed previous findings: In the healthy sample, musical sophistication was positively associated with resilience as measured by the CD-RISC, but not by the BRS. Contrary to the notion that individuals with depression may benefit less from music as a resilience resource due to maladaptive engagement patterns, we observed a positive -and even stronger -correlation with both resilience measures in this group. Further analyses revealed that among healthy individuals, active musical behaviours (such as making music or dancing) were more strongly associated with resilience than passive engagement (listening only). Both healthy and depressive participants reported feeling calmer and more peaceful after using music to cope with stress; this effect was significantly more frequent in the depressive group, particularly in the context of coping with depressive symptoms. Although the data are correlational and preclude causal conclusions, these findings offer promising directions for future research and may inform clinical applications involving music as a resilience-supportive resource.