Music has accompanied human beings for thousands of years. It can move us emotionally, alter our perception of time, help us concentrate, create a sense of calm, or naturally support a moment of meditation.
For several decades, the relationships between music, frequencies and well-being have also attracted scientific interest. Researchers in psychology, neuroscience, medicine and psychoacoustics are studying links between music, the brain, stress, sleep, anxiety and physiological responses.
However, when it comes to musical frequencies, 432 Hz, 528 Hz, binaural beats or so-called “healing frequencies”, claims found online sometimes go far beyond what current scientific knowledge can actually support.
To approach the subject rigorously, it is useful to distinguish between three levels: what scientific research already supports reasonably well, what it is beginning to explore, and what still belongs to the realm of hypothesis or personal experience.
Music can be a powerful tool for well-being. That does not mean that every individual frequency has scientifically demonstrated therapeutic properties.
Music and Stress: One of the Best-Documented Areas
Among all the effects studied, the influence of music on stress is one of the areas supported by the largest body of scientific literature.
A major systematic review and meta-analysis published in Health Psychology Review included 104 randomised controlled trials, 327 effect sizes and 9,617 participants.
The researchers found significant effects of music interventions on both psychological measures of stress and several physiological measures, including heart rate, blood pressure and certain hormonal markers.
These findings obviously do not mean that a particular piece of music will automatically have the same effect on every listener.
Musical preferences, listening context, emotional state, volume, duration of exposure and the characteristics of the composition itself can all play an important role.
Nevertheless, the research suggests something fundamental: using music to encourage relaxation and help regulate stress is supported by a genuine scientific foundation.
Other experimental studies have also observed that listening to music can influence the psychobiological stress response, including recovery of the autonomic nervous system following stressful situations.
The scientific question is therefore no longer simply whether music can influence our state.
It is increasingly about understanding under which conditions, with which types of music, for which individuals, and to what extent these effects may occur.
Why Does Some Music Feel More Relaxing Than Other Music?
Music intended for relaxation is not simply ordinary music with the word “relaxation” added to its title.
Tempo, dynamics, variations in intensity, timbre, arrangement density, silence, repetition and the way a composition develops over time can profoundly change the listening experience.
Scientific research has examined relationships between musical tempo, breathing and cardiovascular activity.
In a study published in the journal Heart, Luciano Bernardi and colleagues showed that certain cardiovascular and respiratory responses could change according to characteristics of the music and its tempo.
Slow or meditative music was more closely associated with responses consistent with relaxation, while increases in tempo could encourage greater physiological activation.
This does not mean that there is a universal musical formula for calm.
But it does suggest that the structure of a composition itself — its tempo, movement, breathing space and progression — can contribute to the state it may help create in the listener.
Music and Sleep: What Does Research Show?
The relationship between music and sleep is another particularly interesting field of research.
A Cochrane review examining music listening in adults experiencing symptoms of insomnia concluded that music may improve subjective sleep quality.
The authors were more cautious about certain objectively measured sleep parameters and highlighted the need for further research.
This distinction matters.
It is scientifically reasonable to say that music may help create conditions that support sleep or improve perceived sleep quality.
Claiming that music “treats insomnia”, however, would be far too categorical.
Another meta-analysis focusing on older adults also found improvements in sleep quality associated with listening to music.
So-called sedative music appeared to produce better outcomes than compositions with a stronger rhythmic emphasis.
Music can therefore be considered a supportive tool for sleep, particularly by helping to reduce mental activation and create a more stable auditory environment before falling asleep.
Natural Sounds, Rain, Water and Birds: More Than Just Atmosphere?
The sound of rain, flowing water, wind in the trees or birdsong is often instinctively associated with calm and relaxation.
Natural sounds are also the subject of scientific research.
A synthesis published in 2021 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analysed several dozen studies exploring the effects of natural sound environments.
The researchers identified a range of potential benefits involving stress, mood, noise annoyance and certain aspects of cognitive performance.
Water sounds appeared particularly interesting for several of the measures studied.
It would, of course, be incorrect to conclude that a recording of rain or a forest has medical properties.
However, these studies suggest that our sound environment can contribute to our psychological and physiological state.
This may also help explain why natural soundscapes are so often used alongside meditation, relaxation and sleep practices.
Binaural Beats: What Does Science Really Say?
Binaural beats have become increasingly prominent in meditation and relaxation music.
The principle is based on a genuine auditory phenomenon.
When two tones with slightly different frequencies are presented separately to each ear, usually through headphones, the auditory system may perceive a rhythmic beat corresponding to the difference between the two frequencies.
For example, two tones separated by 6 Hz may generate the perception of a beat of approximately 6 Hz.
Binaural beats are therefore not simply a concept originating from alternative practices: the auditory phenomenon itself is real and studied within psychoacoustics.
Things become more complex when researchers try to determine their effects on the brain, anxiety, sleep or cognitive performance.
A meta-analysis including 22 studies examined the effects of binaural beats in several areas, including cognition, anxiety and pain perception.
The authors reported interesting findings, while also observing that results varied according to several factors, including frequency, duration of exposure, timing and experimental protocol.
More recent scientific reviews of brainwave entrainment have reached broadly similar conclusions.
Some findings are encouraging in areas including sleep, cognition, mood, anxiety and pain perception, but researchers also highlight major differences between protocols and the need for larger and better-controlled studies.
We are therefore looking at a genuine scientific field that is still developing.
It would be premature to claim that a particular binaural beat can automatically “put the brain into theta waves” or create a specific mental state in everyone.
But it would also be inaccurate to claim that binaural beats have no scientific basis at all.
432 Hz: Science, Hypotheses and Beliefs
The famous 432 Hz deserves particular attention because of its popularity within the worlds of well-being, meditation and sound healing.
Many claims circulate about it.
432 Hz is sometimes described as a natural frequency of the Universe, capable of harmonising the body, repairing biological functions or acting directly on cells.
At present, science does not support these extraordinary claims.
It is also important to understand what “music at 432 Hz” actually means.
In most studies, it refers to music in which the reference pitch A is tuned to 432 Hz, rather than the modern Western standard of approximately 440 Hz.
It therefore does not mean that the entire piece of music consists of a single 432 Hz tone.
Nevertheless, several comparative studies between music tuned to 432 Hz and music tuned around 440 Hz do exist.
A pilot study published in 2019, for example, observed a greater reduction in heart rate under certain conditions when participants listened to music tuned to 432 Hz.
The authors themselves emphasised that the findings needed to be reproduced with larger groups and more extensive experimental protocols.
Another study involving people undergoing dental extraction compared music at 432 Hz, music at 440 Hz and no music.
Both music conditions were associated with reduced anxiety compared with the control group, while differences in salivary cortisol were also observed in the 432 Hz group.
Other studies have explored relationships between 432 Hz tuning and parameters related to sleep or physiological state.
These findings are interesting.
However, they are not sufficient to demonstrate that 432 Hz has a unique and reproducible therapeutic property.
A more accurate conclusion would therefore be:
A small number of experimental studies suggest that tuning music to 432 Hz may produce certain physiological or psychological differences compared with other tuning standards, but the available evidence remains too limited to establish specific therapeutic properties.
What About 528 Hz?
528 Hz is also associated with a wide range of claims.
It is frequently linked to transformation, cellular repair, DNA or even the so-called “love frequency”.
At present, these specific properties do not have a sufficiently strong scientific basis to be presented as established facts.
There are, however, some experimental studies.
A randomised study published in 2026, for example, divided 162 students into different listening groups, including music using 528 Hz and 432 Hz.
The researchers observed differences in several salivary biomarkers.
However, no significant differences between the groups were found in performance on a Stroop cognitive test.
This is a useful example of what scientific research actually looks like.
A result can reveal an interesting phenomenon without proving all of the properties commonly attributed to a particular frequency.
Research can open a pathway that must then be confirmed, reproduced and better understood.
Solfeggio Frequencies: What Can We Really Claim?
The frequencies 174 Hz, 285 Hz, 396 Hz, 417 Hz, 528 Hz, 639 Hz, 741 Hz, 852 Hz and 963 Hz, commonly grouped together under the name Solfeggio frequencies, have become extremely popular.
They are frequently associated with specific effects such as releasing fear, inner transformation, cellular repair, improved relationships, intuition, awakening or spiritual development.
At present, the available scientific evidence does not establish these precise relationships between individual frequencies and specific physiological or therapeutic effects.
That does not mean that someone cannot experience deep relaxation while listening to a composition incorporating 528 Hz, 639 Hz or 963 Hz.
Their experience may be entirely genuine.
The distinction lies in how that experience is interpreted.
Feeling calmer after listening to music associated with 528 Hz does not, by itself, demonstrate that 528 Hz was the sole cause of that relaxation.
The composition, harmony, tempo, timbre, listening environment, listener expectations and emotional state may all contribute.
This is precisely why distinguishing between personal experience and scientific validation is so important.
Can a Single Frequency Really “Heal”?
Sound is fundamentally a vibration.
Its frequency, measured in Hertz, simply represents the number of oscillations occurring every second.
A 100 Hz tone therefore produces 100 oscillations per second.
That fact alone does not mean that a frequency has a specific biological function.
The human body certainly responds to sound: hearing, the nervous system, attention and emotions are constantly influenced by the acoustic environment around us.
But moving from that reality to claims that a precise frequency “heals an organ”, “repairs DNA” or “eliminates disease” requires a much stronger level of scientific evidence.
At present, that evidence does not exist for most claims of this kind found online.
This does not diminish the artistic or experimental value of working with particular frequencies.
It simply places their use within a more rigorous context.
Does Music Really Affect the Brain?
Yes — but probably in a much more complex way than many popular claims suggest.
All music received by the auditory system is transformed into neural signals and processed across multiple brain networks.
Listening to music involves mechanisms related to hearing, attention, memory, emotion, expectation and rhythm perception.
Our response to music therefore does not depend on one single frequency.
It arises from an extremely complex interaction between sound, the brain, the listener’s experience and the context in which listening takes place.
This complexity is probably part of what makes music so fascinating.
Music can produce powerful responses without the need to invoke mysterious mechanisms.
More Than 3,000 Studies Reviewed by the World Health Organization
Scientific interest in music and the arts extends far beyond the study of individual frequencies.
In 2019, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe published a major review exploring the role of the arts in health and well-being.
The report drew on more than 3,000 studies.
Music was included alongside other artistic activities such as dance, theatre and the visual arts.
The research covered areas including prevention, promotion of well-being and support in a range of health-related situations.
The WHO continues to explore the relationships between the arts, health and well-being.
This does not mean, of course, that the World Health Organization endorses a particular frequency, piece of music or specific practice.
It does, however, demonstrate that the relationship between music, health and well-being is now a genuine field of scientific research.
What Science Already Knows — and What It Is Still Investigating
Based on current evidence, it is reasonable to say that:
- music interventions may help reduce certain psychological and physiological manifestations of stress;
- listening to music may help improve subjective sleep quality in some people;
- tempo and other musical characteristics can influence physiological responses;
- natural sounds have been associated in several studies with favourable effects on stress and well-being;
- binaural beats are a genuine auditory phenomenon and are being studied in areas including anxiety, cognition and sleep;
- a small number of experimental studies have reported differences between music tuned to 432 Hz and other tuning standards;
- frequencies such as 528 Hz are also beginning to be explored experimentally;
- but current scientific knowledge does not support assigning a precise and reproducible therapeutic property to each of the frequencies commonly promoted within the well-being field.
This final distinction is perhaps the most important.
Science does not need to have every answer before a phenomenon is worth investigating.
But an interesting hypothesis does not automatically become a scientific fact.
The 3oaksmusic Approach: Composition, Psychoacoustics and Sound Exploration
It is within this space — between musical creation, human experience and scientific knowledge — that the 3oaksmusic approach takes shape.
The compositions are first and foremost conceived as genuine musical works.
Melody, harmony, texture, timbre, space, dynamics and sonic progression form the core of the creative process.
Different techniques can then be incorporated where appropriate: 432 Hz tuning, specific frequencies, binaural beats, ambient textures, natural sounds or long-form compositions designed to accompany meditation, relaxation or sleep.
The aim is not to present a frequency as medicine.
It is to create a coherent sound environment capable of accompanying the listener towards a desired state.
A composition created for meditation, for example, will not necessarily be structured like a conventional three-minute piece of music.
It may deliberately use more repetition, extremely gradual transitions, long resonances, controlled dynamics and reduced musical density.
A piece designed for sleep may develop over several hours in order to avoid sudden interruptions or changes that could unnecessarily attract attention.
Music created for massage, a spa environment or a relaxation session may instead aim to establish a stable, immersive soundscape that supports the experience without overwhelming it.
Some of these creative decisions are supported by findings in scientific literature.
Others arise from the composer’s expertise and experience developed over years of creating music.
Others remain intentionally experimental.
Between Science and Feeling: Why Personal Experience Also Matters
Not everything that affects a person needs to be transformed into a medical claim.
If a piece of music helps someone slow down, meditate, focus or fall asleep, that experience still has value even if the precise mechanism behind it is not fully understood.
Science looks for measurable and reproducible effects across populations.
Musical experience is also deeply individual.
A melody may profoundly move one person while leaving another almost indifferent.
The sound of rain may create a feeling of safety for one listener and evoke an unpleasant memory for someone else.
A particular frequency may feel deeply calming to some people and completely neutral to others.
Subjectivity therefore does not invalidate the experience.
It simply reminds us why caution is necessary when turning individual experiences into universal claims.
An Invitation to Listen Rather Than Believe
Scientific research is gradually helping us understand how music, sound and our acoustic environment interact with the brain, emotions and certain physiological responses.
It already supports a number of interesting effects.
It is exploring many others.
And it also challenges claims that are too simplistic.
That is precisely what makes this field so fascinating.
There is no need to claim that a frequency has extraordinary powers in order to recognise the power of a musical experience.
Music can accompany a moment of deep relaxation.
It can become part of a sleep routine.
It can help create an environment conducive to meditation.
It can influence our emotional state.
It can transform our perception of a space.
And sometimes, it can make us feel something that is difficult to put into words.
Research will probably continue to teach us a great deal about these mechanisms in the years ahead.
At 3oaksmusic, these developments are followed with curiosity, with the aim of integrating relevant knowledge into the creative process while maintaining one fundamental principle:
to distinguish between what science demonstrates, what it suggests, and what we are still exploring.
Main Scientific References
De Witte M. et al. (2020) — Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: a systematic review and two meta-analyses. Health Psychology Review.
Thoma M.V. et al. (2013) — The effect of music on the human stress response. PLoS ONE.
Bernardi L. et al. (2006) — Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory changes induced by different types of music. Heart.
Jespersen K.V. et al. (2022) — Listening to music for insomnia in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Chen C.T. et al. (2021) — Meta-analysis examining music interventions and sleep quality in older adults.
Garcia-Argibay M. et al. (2019) — Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis. Psychological Research.
Buxton R.T. et al. (2021) — A synthesis of health benefits of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Calamassi D. & Pomponi G.P. (2019) — Music Tuned to 440 Hz Versus 432 Hz and the Health Effects: A Double-blind Cross-over Pilot Study. Explore.
Aravena P.C. et al. (2020) — Study comparing the effects of music tuned to 432 Hz and 440 Hz on anxiety and salivary cortisol.
Bozok Ü.G. et al. (2026) — Randomised study examining exposure to different musical frequencies and several biological markers in young adults.
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (2019) — What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review.
3oaksmusic compositions are created as musical experiences intended to support well-being, relaxation, meditation or sleep. They are not medical treatments and should not replace advice, diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional.