‘I would want to listen to it as a medicine’ – Lo-fi music and state anxiety, a mixed-methods pilot study on young adults

Faced with heightened state anxiety, today’s youth are turning to lo-fi music for relief – but does it truly work, how and why? This study represents a pioneering initial exploration of lo-fi music and state anxiety through the lens of critical realism. It employs a mixed-methods intervention design to assess the preliminary effectiveness of lo-fi music in alleviating state anxiety and explores its possible underlying mechanisms. A pre-post experiment (n = 76) followed by interviews (n = 27) was conducted on young adults pursuing post-graduate education in Karnataka, India. Results demonstrate a significant reduction in state anxiety after lo-fi exposure. Participants reported that lo-fi disrupts intrusive thoughts and promotes relaxation, sleep, and positive mental states, construing it as an antidote to anxiety. This research unearths the unique characteristics of lo-fi music that may drive this effect. Future investigation is warranted to test the efficacy of this music in youth-focused mental health interventions.