Key points

Music can relieve loneliness even when you are alone.

The most comforting music for people in the face of loss or hardship is "self-selected" music.

Music stimulates the cerebellum in our brain in terms of beat, gait and emotions in a way noise cannot.

Embrace the music and memories you own throughout the years.

Loneliness and isolation among older Americans have mostly returned to pre-pandemic rates. That means more than one third of people age 50 to 80 years old, still feel lonely and isolated ( JAMA 2024 ).

While research suggests that loneliness impacts physical and mental health, loneliness is a yearning for connection and belonging that people may be able to address in unexpected ways. One way is to draw upon the power of music.

Elvers ( 2016) considers that pri

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