Therapeutic frequencies in digital music culture: A content analysis on technical accuracy and the expectation effect

Abstract

Although the neurophysiological responses of the human brain to auditory stimuli have been substantiated through modern imaging techniques, the process of digitalization has created a new domain in which scientific data are manipulated through claims of miraculous effects. This study aims to examine the scientific foundations, technical accuracy, and effects on individual perception of healing frequencies presented on social media and digital music platforms under titles such as 528 Hz and 432 Hz, from the perspective of music psychology. Within the scope of the research, 150 pieces of content selected through purposive sampling from seven different digital platforms were evaluated using FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) spectrum analysis and qualitative content analysis techniques. The findings of the technical analysis reveal that a remarkably high proportion of the examined content, 92%, did not contain the specific frequency values promised in their titles, while 86% of this content consisted solely of low-tempo and simple melodic structures. The most striking finding of the study is that, despite technically incorrect frequencies, users’ comments exhibited a strong prevalence of reported healing and relaxation. This suggests that the perceived positive effects may be interpreted as a powerful placebo effect triggered not by the physical frequency value of the sound itself, but rather by the mystical meaning attributed to the content. It may also be explained by the natural relaxing effect of low-tempo music on the parasympathetic nervous system. In conclusion, healing frequencies on digital platforms appear to function less as a technical reality and more as digital rituals to which modern individuals resort in their search for coping mechanisms against stress. By placing the gap between the objective physical properties of sound and its subjective perception within a rational framework through data from music psychology and psychoacoustics, the study documents the extent of disinformation in the literature

Keywords

• 528 Hz
• Digital culture
• Emotion regulation
• Music psychology
• New media
• Placebo effect
• Psychoacoustics

References

1. Akimoto, K., Hu, A., Yamaguchi, T., & Kobayashi, H. (2018). Effect of 528 Hz music on the endocrine system and autonomic nervous system. Health, 10(9), 1159-1170. https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2018.109088
2. Benedetti, F. (2014). Placebo effects: Understanding the mechanisms in health and disease. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199559121.001.0001
3. Brody, H. (1982). The lie that heals: The ethics of giving placebos. Annals of Internal Medicine, 97(1), 112-118. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-97-1-112
4. Calamassi, D., & Pomponi, G. P. (2019). Music tuned to 440 Hz versus 432 Hz and the health effects: A double-blind cross-over pilot study. Explore, 15(4), 283-290. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v91i12-S.10755
5. Chanda, M. L., & Levitin, D. J. (2013). The neurochemistry of music. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(4), 179-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2013.02.007
6. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications.
7. Demir, M., & Can, G. (2013). Reiki. Sağlıkla Hemşirelik Dergisi, 2, 56-57.
8. Di Nasso, L., et al. (2020). Influences of 432 Hz music on heart rate variability and anxiety in patients undergoing endodontic treatment: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Journal of Endodontics, 46(10), 1391-1397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joen.2016.05.015

9. Dirik, H. B., & Baraz Çınar, C. B. (2025). Differences in brain electrical activity between musicians and non-musicians while listening to 440 Hz and 432 Hz musical compositions. Rast Musicology Journal, 13(2), 127-140. https://doi.org/10.12975/rastmd.20251322
10. Ergül, R. (2013). Psikoakustik ve film sesinde algısallık (Psychoacoustics and perception in film sound). Selçuk İletişim, 4(3), 138-145. https://doi.org/10.18094/si.27961
11. Fastl, H., & Zwicker, E. (2007). Psychoacoustics: Facts and models. Springer Science & Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27437-5_6
12. Gold, B. P., et al. (2019). Musical reward predictions immediately facilitate learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1809855116
13. HerHolz, S. C., Halpern, A. R., & Zatorre, R. J. (2012). Neuronal correlates of perception, imagery, and memory for familiar tunes. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 24(6), 1382-1397. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00216
14. Holtzheimer, P. E., & Mayberg, H. S. (2010). Stuck in a rut: Rethinking depression and its treatment. Trends in Neurosciences, 34(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2010.10.004
15. Jebabli, N., et al. (2025). Effects of 440-Hz vs. 432-Hz preferred music frequencies, during warm-up, on intermittent anaerobic speed test performance in men and women kickboxers. PeerJ, 13, e19084. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20465-0
16. Juslin, P., & Sloboda, J. (2013). Music and emotion. In D. Deutsch (Ed.), Psychology of music. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-381460-9.00015-8
17. Koelsch, S. (2014). Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(3), 170-180. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666
18. Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071878781
19. Massimo, G., & Marmolaro, M. (2023). The impact of music tuned to 432 Hz on human behaviour: A systematic review [Systematic review, University of Padua].
20. Münte, T. F., Altenmüller, E., & Jäncke, L. (2002). The musician's brain as a model of neuroplasticity. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3(6), 473-478. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn843
21. Ouergui, I., Delleli, S., Ballmann, C., & Chtourou, H. (2023). The effects of pre-task music on exercise performance and associated psycho-physiological responses: A systematic review with multilevel meta-analysis of controlled studies. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1293783. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1293783
22. Özçakır, A., & Yazıcı, L. (2023). BUÜTF aile hekimliği anabilim dalı online intern semineri (BUÜTF Department of Family Medicine online intern seminar).
23. Pink, S., Horst, H. A., Postill, J., Hjorth, L., Lewis, T., & Tacchi, J. (2016). Ethnography in a digital world. In Digital ethnography: Principles and practices (1st ed., pp. 1-18). SAGE Publications.
24. Tan, S.-L., Pfordresher, P., & Harré, R. (2010). Psychology of music: From sound to significance. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203855362
25. Yuvacı, E. (2023). Hızlı ve yavaş tempolarda icra edilen belirli klasik Türk müziği usullerinin insan otonom sistemi üzerindeki etkileri (The effects of certain Classical Turkish music rhythms performed at fast and slow tempos on the human autonomic system). RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi. https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1317107
26. Zatorre, R. J. (2015). Musical pleasure and reward: Mechanisms and dysfunction. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1337(1), 202-211. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12677