Research and Publications

Our Research

Cognitive and Social Processes in Music Engagement

We investigate how music influences attention, emotion, and social connection. Early studies showed that music can reduce the salience of pain by shifting participants locus of control from the pain to the music. This work now extends to understand the attentional processes that underpin peak musical engagement and translating our psychological findings into other modalities such as museums, galleries, and virtual reality.

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Therapeutic Applications of Music

We collaborate on clinical and community trials of music-based interventions. Current projects include the Autism CHIME trial, a large UK-based study of improvisational music therapy for autistic children, designed with a neuroinclusive approach. We also explore how everyday musical engagement supports mental health, reduces anxiety, and strengthens coping.

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Music, Health, and Public Policy

We contribute to international initiatives on the role of music in public health, from global surveys on music use during COVID-19 to national policy consultations. Our work with organisations such as Arts Council England, the National Centre for Creative Health, the Royal Society of Public Health and Neurodiversity Ireland helps translate research into practice and inform cultural inclusion strategies.

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Select Publications and Reports

Howlin, C. (2025). There is more to arts and health than neural mechanisms: A Critique of Evidence Dismissal in Arts and Health. Physics of life reviews 54, 89-91.

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Trupp, M. D., Howlin, C., Fekete, A., Kutsche, J., Fingerhut, J., & Pelowski, M. (2025). The impact of viewing art on well-being – a systematic review of the evidence base and suggested mechanisms. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1-25.

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Howlin, C., Walsh, R., D’Alton, P., & Rooney, B. (2023). How do people with chronic pain choose their music for pain management? Examining the external validity of the cognitive vitality model. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 969377

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Howlin, C., Stapleton, A., & Rooney, B. (2022). Tune out pain: Agency and active engagement predict decreases in pain intensity after music listening. PloS one, 17(8), e0271329.

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Howlin, C., Quinn, E. A., & Jones, J. M. (2022, June). Identifying the art of well-being: The Experiences and Impacts of Entelechy Arts’ Staying Connected Programme. Department of Biological and ExperimentalPsychology, Queen Mary University of
London.

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Fink, L. K., Warrenburg, L. A., Howlin, C., Randall, W. M., Hansen, N. C., & Wald-Fuhrmann, M. (2021). Viral Tunes: Changes in Musical Behaviours and Interest in Coronamusic Predict Socio-emotional Coping During COVID-19 Lockdown. Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 8, 180 (2021), 1–11.

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Howlin, C., & Rooney, B. (2021). Cognitive agency in music interventions: Increased perceived control of music predicts increased pain tolerance. European journal of pain, 25(8), 1712-1722.

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Howlin, C., & Rooney, B. (2021). Patients choose music with high energy, danceability, and lyrics in analgesic music listening interventions. Psychology of Music, 49(4), 931-944.

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Howlin, C., Vicary, S., & Orgs, G. (2020). Audiovisual aesthetics of sound and movement in contemporary dance. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 38(2), 191-211.

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Howlin, C., & Rooney, B. (2020). The cognitive mechanisms in music listening interventions for pain: A scoping review. Journal of music therapy, 57(2), 127-167.

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