The Role of Solo Music Listening in Reducing Loneliness and Increasing Social Connectedness in Older Adults

NCT07494604 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 021SL Music & Loneliness
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Loneliness has become an increasingly prevalent concern among older adults. A number of adverse physical and mental health outcomes may result from loneliness in this age group including cognitive decline and depression. These outcomes may lead to a higher strain on healthcare systems. Finding accessible and cost-effective strategies for reducing loneliness and increasing feelings of social connectedness is important for the well-being of older adults. Solo music listening is commonly used to regulate emotions and to promote well-being. While some preliminary evidence suggests that these benefits may extend to loneliness, research has not been clear on the functions or qualities of music that are most effective for older adults. This research project will consist of two parts. In Part 1, an interview will be conducted with older adults to determine what functions of music are most often used and most beneficial when their goal is to reduce loneliness. Part 2 will consist of a between-subjects experiment with four conditions. The top three characteristics obtained from Part 1 will represent the three music conditions, and the fourth condition will be a pink-noise control. Prior to the experiment, participants will self-select three pieces from each of the three music conditions. After selecting their music, they will be randomly assigned to either a music or pink-noise condition. Participants in the three music conditions will listen to the three self-selected pieces that adhere to their assigned condition. Loneliness and social connection outcomes will be assessed before and after listening using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Potential moderators will be assessed after listening, which include nostalgia, absorption in music, and music reward. The results of this project will clarify whether psychological benefits of decreased loneliness and increased social connectedness can be found through music listening to enhance well-being, and whether singing along provides additional benefits. These findings may also be useful in developing future music-based interventions for reducing loneliness.

Conditions

Loneliness; Social Connectedness; Music Listening Intervention

Keywords

music; loneliness; social conectedness; older adults; aging; music listening

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change from Baseline in Loneliness Score After Music Listening

  State Loneliness measured with a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) on a scale from 0-100. 0 indicating lower loneliness, 100 indicating higher loneliness.

  Measured immediately before and immediately after music listening

• Change from Baseline in Social Connectedness Score After Music Listening

  Self-reported social connectedness measured using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0-100. 0 indicating lower social connectedness and 100 indicating higher social connectedness.

  Measured immediately before and immediately after music listening

Study Arms (4)

Music condition 1: Nostalgic music

EXPERIMENTAL

First type of music that participants could be assigned to listen to. Participants will listen to three pieces of self-selected music that correspond to their assigned music condition.

Behavioral: Music condition 1: Nostalgic music

Music condition 2: Comforting music

EXPERIMENTAL

Second type of music that participants could be assigned to listen to. Participants will listen to three pieces of self-selected music that correspond to their assigned music condition.

Behavioral: Music condition 2: Comforting music

Control condition (pink-noise)

SHAM COMPARATOR

Pink-noise control condition for approximately 15 minutes.

Behavioral: Control condition (pink-noise)

Music condition 3: Distracting music

EXPERIMENTAL

Third type of music that participants could be assigned to listen to. Participants will listen to three pieces of self-selected music that correspond to their assigned music condition.

Behavioral: Music condition 3: Distracting music

Interventions

Music condition 1: Nostalgic music BEHAVIORAL

First type of music that participants could be assigned to listen to. Participants will listen to three pieces of self-selected music that correspond to their assigned music condition.

Music condition 1: Nostalgic music

Music condition 2: Comforting music BEHAVIORAL

Second type of music that participants could be assigned to listen to. Participants will listen to three pieces of self-selected music that correspond to their assigned music condition.

Music condition 2: Comforting music

Control condition (pink-noise) BEHAVIORAL

Participants will listen to pink-noise sound for approximately 15 minutes.

Control condition (pink-noise)

Music condition 3: Distracting music BEHAVIORAL

Third type of music that participants could be assigned to listen to. Participants will listen to three pieces of self-selected music that correspond to their assigned music condition.

Music condition 3: Distracting music

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 70 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Over the age of 70
• Access to internet

You may not qualify if:

• Cognitive Impairment
• Self-reported hearing loss

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Toronto Metropolitan University: lead
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Toronto Metropolitan University

Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada

Location

Related Publications (12)

• Zhou, X., Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., & Gao, D.-G. (2008). Counteracting Loneliness: On the Restorative Function of Nostalgia. Psychological Science, 19(10), 1023-1029. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02194.x

  BACKGROUND

• Tarr B, Launay J, Dunbar RI. Music and social bonding: "self-other" merging and neurohormonal mechanisms. Front Psychol. 2014 Sep 30;5:1096. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01096. eCollection 2014.

  PMID: 25324805 BACKGROUND

• Statistics Canada. (2025, February). Table 45-10-0049-01 Loneliness by gender and other selected sociodemographic characteristics. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/4510004901-eng

  BACKGROUND

• Schäfer, K., Saarikallio, S., & Eerola, T. (2020). Music may reduce loneliness and act as social surrogate for a friend: Evidence from and experimental listening study. Music & Science, 3, 1-16.

  BACKGROUND

• Saeri AK, Cruwys T, Barlow FK, Stronge S, Sibley CG. Social connectedness improves public mental health: Investigating bidirectional relationships in the New Zealand attitudes and values survey. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2018 Apr;52(4):365-374. doi: 10.1177/0004867417723990. Epub 2017 Aug 12.

  PMID: 28803484 BACKGROUND

• Randall, W. M., Baltazar, M., & Saarikallio, S. (2022). Success in reaching affect self-regulation goals through everyday music listening. Journal of New Music Research, 51(2-3), 243-258. https://doi.org/10.1080/09298215.2023.2187310

  BACKGROUND

• Kurt, D., & Alpar, S. E. (2021). The effect of music therapy on the sense of loneliness of elderly living in nursing home. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 14(2), 930-936.

  BACKGROUND

• Klil-Drori S, Bodenstein KC, Sun S, Kojok L, Gruber J, Ghantous Y, Cummings J, Nasreddine Z. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) XpressO: Validation of a digital self-administered cognitive prescreening tool. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Aug;72(8):2516-2522. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18902. Epub 2024 Apr 1.

  PMID: 38558263 BACKGROUND

• Gerst-Emerson K, Jayawardhana J. Loneliness as a public health issue: the impact of loneliness on health care utilization among older adults. Am J Public Health. 2015 May;105(5):1013-9. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302427. Epub 2015 Mar 19.

  PMID: 25790413 BACKGROUND

• Cacioppo S, Grippo AJ, London S, Goossens L, Cacioppo JT. Loneliness: clinical import and interventions. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2015 Mar;10(2):238-49. doi: 10.1177/1745691615570616.

  PMID: 25866548 BACKGROUND

• Boer, D., & Fischer, R. (2012). Towards a holistic model of functions of music listening across cultures: A culturally decentred qualitative approach. Psychology of Music, 40(2), 179-200. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735610381885

  BACKGROUND

• Beller J. Loneliness and mortality: The moderating effect of positive affect. Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2023 Feb;15(1):49-65. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12354. Epub 2022 Mar 1.

  PMID: 35233957 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Frank Russo, PhD

  Toronto Metropolitan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Rachel Ulrich, BA (Hons)

CONTACT

416-979-5000; rulrich@torontomu.ca

Kay Wright-Whyte, MSc

CONTACT

416-979-5000; kww@torontomu.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Participants in this study will either be assigned to one of three music conditions or a pink-noise control condition.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 11, 2026
• First Posted: March 27, 2026
• Study Start: March 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 20, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 20, 2027
• Last Updated: March 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• Time Frame: Data will become available available on the Open Science Framework (osf.io) when the pre-print of the study is uploaded to PsyArXiv. Data will be available on OSF indefinitely.
• Access Criteria: All supporting information will be publicly accessible on the Open Science Framework (osf.io)

Locations

CA (1)