Emotional and well-being responses to binaural beat music: a mixed-methods exploratory study of cultural background and music preference

Binaural beats (BB), an auditory illusion triggered by frequency differences in sound, have been increasingly explored in relation to emotional responses and well-being. However, less is known about how listeners from different cultural and musical backgrounds emotionally engage with and interpret BB listening experiences. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined the emotional and well-being responses of 19 participants (British n = 9; Chinese n = 10) to music embedded with BB during a one-week listening period. A mixed-methods approach combined pre- and post-listening well-being measures with qualitative diary reflections and interviews that explored listening experiences. Both groups demonstrated a significant main effect of time, with scores indicating an increase in subjective well-being. However, qualitative findings revealed substantial variation in the musical style that was chosen by participants as well as how they emotionally engaged with and interpreted the BB listening environment. Participants who were more familiar with ambient, instrumental, or minimally structured forms of music listening described the experience as emotionally accessible, calming, or immersive. By contrast, participants whose listening expectations centered around more recognizable melodic or lyrical musical structures described emotional distance or difficulty connecting with the listening experience. The findings suggest that emotional engagement with BB music may be shaped not only by the sonic qualities of the music but also by listeners' prior listening experiences, familiarity, and musical expectations, and the expressive meanings they associate with the listening experience.