Exploring the role of music listening in cultivating self-compassion

Music listening can impact emotional well-being. However, self-compassion, an aspect strongly related to emotional well-being, is rarely discussed in music listening literature. Therefore, this study explored self-compassionate and uncompassionate music listening experiences within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two hundred and ninety-six Australian university students ( M age = 19.32) completed a mixed-methods music listening and self-compassion questionnaire. The questionnaire included the Self-Compassion Short Form Scale along with an author-adapted version exploring the influence of music listening. Additional, open-ended questions probed self-compassionate and uncompassionate music listening experiences. Most participants (81.76%) reported self-compassionate experiences through listening to music during the pandemic. Template analysis examining people’s self-compassionate and uncompassionate music listening experiences resulted in an overlap of themes including emotional experience, connection , and music styles . Distinct patterns were found, such as positive outcomes in self-compassionate responses and negative outcomes in uncompassionate experiences. The inclusion of emotional release within uncompassionate responses demonstrates the complexity of the relationship between music listening and self-compassion. These findings highlight the need for further exploration into music listening and self-compassion, particularly in an everyday context beyond the pandemic.