However, compared to musically inactive people, musicians more often seem to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders.
The survey concluded that 73% of independent musicians struggle with mental illness. This figure climbed to 80% when researchers focused solely on the 18-25 age group.
Health conditions
The most common injury type suffered by musicians is repetitive strain injury (RSIs). A survey of orchestral performers found that 64–76% had significant RSIs. Other types of musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and focal dystonia, are also common.
According to a study done by the University of Westminster and MusicTank of musicians, 68.5% of 2,211 said they have experienced depression, and 71.1% said they had experienced severe anxiety or panic attacks. These results show that musicians are 3 times more susceptible to depression than the average person.
Rather, the high-pressure and hectic lifestyles of many artists may lead to depressive symptoms, as tight deadlines, high expectations, fierce criticism, and intense travel are common for such individuals.
There appears to be a link between bipolar disorder and creativity. Research shows that people with a genetic predisposition to bipolar disorder are more likely than others to be artistic and creative. Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.
It was found that musically active participants reported more frequent depressive, burnout, and psychotic symptoms than participants who did not make music. Those results were published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports in 2019.
Previous research in Kraus's lab and others had already shown that musicians had greater sensitivity to the nuances of emotion in speech than non-musicians.
Musicians are often opinionated people. They have strong feelings about the music they create and the way it should be performed. This can sometimes lead to conflict with other musicians, as well as with fans and critics. And the same sentiment can creep into relationships - which may not end well.
The number one reason why we don't “make it” or achieve anything is because of our mindset. This applies to musicians just the same. When we think that we are “no good” and our art and talent, as musicians, is not good enough, then that's the level of success we can attain.
Being a musician can be quite stressful. Especially well known musicians have very full schedules. Stress management is often overlooked by the musician and the manager of the musician. As proven the pressure of being a musician can be too much.
In addition, we measured AP ability by a pitch identification test with sine wave tones and piano tones. We found a significantly higher degree of autism traits in APs than in non-APs and non-musicians, and autism scores were significantly correlated with pitch identification scores (r = . 46, p = . 003).
Famous musicians with ADHD, or thought to have had ADHD, include 'Rhapsody in Blue' composer, George Gershwin, pop singer-songwriter, Lily Allen, The Beatles star, John Lennon, and panel judge for The Voice UK, Will.i.am, to name but a few.
The study also found that musicians have higher IQs overall—not just in music—and that this apparent intelligence advantage may be due to the fact that they engage with more complex structures and processes over time.
Musicians are three times more likely to experience anxiety or depression than the general public, research finds | University of Westminster.
Vanderbilt University psychologists have found that professionally trained musicians more effectively use a creative technique called divergent thinking, and also use both the left and the right sides of their frontal cortex more heavily than the average person.
Other research has found that the corpus callosum – the strip of tissue that connects the left and right hemisphere of the brain – is also larger in musicians.
The brain's executive function – which plans and makes decisions – comes into play as a musician plays one part but keeps focus on what's coming next. Couple that with the total sensory input – visual, auditory, emotional and all at the same time – and it becomes a total “workout” for the brain.
Compared to non-musicians, both types of musicians had stronger functional connectivity — the synchronized activity of brain regions — in the auditory regions of both brain hemispheres.
Thus, Openness seems to be the most typical personality trait for musicians. There were no significant differences in Extraversion, Agreeableness or Emotional Stability (Neuroticism) between the two groups. These results suggest that musicians are more creative and openminded than non-musicians.
This predisposition might be spurred by family interests, exciting teachers or mentors, or by their own talents. Artists may also be acutely sensitive to the ambient moods, sounds, pictures, people and events in their lives. They may resonate to their surroundings at an unconscious and deep emotional level.
It is often said that artists are more likely to suffer from depression than ordinary people. Some possible reasons include the creativity and self-expression that artists often need to use in their work, the emotional intensity of the artistic process, and the ever-changing and competitive nature.
It can, for instance, pull you away from other important aspects of your life, most notably relationships with other people. It's certainly no coincidence that many great artists throughout history have failed at maintaining long-term relationships, often divorcing not just once but several times.