Background The relationship between music and well-being has gained scholarly interest due to its implications for mental health and rehabilitation. However, no large-scale bibliometric analysis has captured global trends in this interdisciplinary field. This study addresses this gap by systematically mapping music and well-being research, identifying dominant themes and areas needing investigation. Methods We analyzed 16,585 peer-reviewed articles from Scopus (inception to May 2025) across psychology, medicine, and neuroscience. Using co-occurrence network analysis with VOSviewer 1.6.20, Louvain clustering, and cosine similarity mapping, we identified major research trajectories. Temporal trends were analyzed using piecewise linear regression, with qualitative validation via the scanning, sensing, and substantiating framework. Data processing used Python 3.13.3 and R 4.4.3 with bibliometrix. Results A targeted review of 30 key articles—identified through keyword alignment and citation metrics—validated five thematic clusters: (1) Well-being and Spiritual Growth, (2) Music Therapy for Anxiety and Pain, (3) Emotion and Cognition, (4) Rehabilitation in Older Adults, and (5) Hearing Health in Youth. Publication output increased sharply after 2018, with Cluster 2 representing the largest research share. The United States and Europe were most prolific, while musically rich regions like Africa and South Asia were underrepresented. Emerging trends include neuroscientific explorations and AI-driven music interventions. However, clinical implementation challenges persist, including limited healthcare integration and insufficient practitioner training. Conclusions This study provides a foundation for music and well-being research, emphasizing the need for cross-cultural studies, mechanistic insights, and ethical frameworks for digital applications. Future work should prioritize translating research into practice, ensuring equitable global representation, and addressing implementation barriers. Clinicians need training and institutional support, while policymakers must fund research in underrepresented regions to ensure evidence reflects global musical diversity.
Phanphairoj et al. (Tue,) studied this question.