Music as Medicine

By: Daniel Levitin

Length: Not Yet Known

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC AND THE ORGANISED MIND

Music insinuates itself into our earliest memories; it is intimately connected to our emotional regulation and cognition; its shared rhythms and sounds are essential to our social behaviours. That is why we can remember songs word for word years later, or why certain music has the power to uplift us almost instantly. Music is more than a vehicle for entertainment and expression: it's also a powerful tool for lifelong health.

In Music and Medicine, bestselling author and neuroscientist Daniel Levitin delves into the latest research on the interaction of music, mood, health, and the biology of our brain. In it, he explains how music can lead to lasting improvements in our brain and body, increasing brain function and connectivity, boosting neuroplasticity and even strengthening our immune system. From promoting relaxation when we're stressed and supporting stroke victims to recover the ability to walk, improving memory for those suffering with Alzheimers’ Disease and helping manage chronic pain, music has an extraordinary therapeutic potential that is yet to be fully realised.

A work of dazzling ideas, cutting-edge research, and joyful celebration of the human mind, Music as Medicine will explain to you what we know, and how we can harness music to heal – helping us look forward and reimagine our lives.

©2025 Daniel Levitin (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

'Daniel Levitin is a triple threat—a visionary neuroscientist, an extraordinary musician, a brilliant writer—and this is his best book yet. Music as Medicine is inspiring and illuminating, as deep as it is delightful. I couldn’t put it down.' (DANIEL GILBERT, author of Stumbling on Happiness)

'Lookin’ back at my life, it’s pretty easy to see how music has profoundly benefited my wellbeing, all while drawing me further & further into its mysteries—and there appears to be no end to this path. Dan’s take on this mirrors mine—and he can both explain it and tease the possibilities presented...' (BOB WEIR, member of The Grateful Dead)

'Working as a cross-culture detective, Daniel J. Levitin unravels the mysteries of how music heals us and fires our emotions, inspirations, and desires. Levitin cracks the case wide open while synthesizing his research and experience in a book that is an important addition to our understanding of the human experience.' (MICHAEL CONNELLY, New York Times best-selling author of Bosch)