Harmonizing Emotions: Assessing Implicit and Explicit Emotional Responses in Elderly through Music Therapy Sessions

The music therapy process and its effects on the intersubjective and emotional dimensions of the elderly population are underexplored topics in the scientific literature. Intersubjectivity refers to the shared experience of being together with another person, which can influence the emotional and psychological well-being of both parties. Music therapy can facilitate intersubjectivity by creating a musical dialogue that reflects and resonates with the emotional states and needs of the participants. This can be especially beneficial for elderly and institutionalized patients, who often suffer from social isolation, loneliness, and depression. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on how intersubjective music therapy affects the emotional dimensions and psychological well-being of this population. Therefore, there is a need for an exploratory study that examines the patient–music therapist dyad interaction, which could provide valuable insights for future research in this direction. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of intersubjective music therapy on the emotional dimensions and psychological well-being of elderly and institutionalized patients in an assisted living facility. The study has three specific objectives: (a) to evaluate the emotional dimensions of the patients during music therapy sessions, using facial expressions as indicators of their affective states; (b) to assess the degree of attunement and activation between the patient and the music therapist, using behavioral and physiological measures of synchrony and arousal; (c) to examine the effects of the music therapy intervention on the emotional and psychological dimensions of the patients, using self-report and standardized scales of well-being, mood, and quality of life. The study will use a pre/post design, with 4 weeks of music therapy intervention, and will compare the results of the experimental group with a control group that will receive a nonmusical intervention. The study will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms and outcomes of intersubjective music therapy for the elderly population and will have implications for the development of effective and tailored interventions for this group.