Exploring pleasure as a mediator of outcomes in music therapy

Findings suggest musical pleasure may be an important mediator of positive outcomes in music therapy, particularly for anhedonia. By overtly targeting pleasure through tailored music activities and therapeutic support, participants reconnected with musical pleasure, which generalised to improved hedonic capacity. Interacting dimensions of pleasure-focused musicking, the pleasure experience, and therapeutic scaffolding are proposed as key mechanisms. Implications for music therapy practice and future research are discussed.