What Happens to Your Brain When You Listen to Binaural Beats

When you’re anxious, unfocused, or sleep-deprived—and trust me, I know the feeling—you’ll do almost anything to soothe your brain and your body. For many people, whether it's to calm down and settle in, or lock in and focus, music and sound are the way they get here. 

Fun, slightly related, fact: did you know that, when you add an artist’s song to your chaotically named public playlist, they can see that you did so. That’s how singer-songwriter Malinda—whose Irish-inspired music I find soothing when I’m in the midst of a panic attack—ends up on playlists called “Hello and Welcome to Your Soul Massage” and "Omg…Please go to therapy.”

Big mood.

However, being drawn to sound and music to whisk your worries away can lead to less obvious places or, as mental health practitioners call them, interventions. One area of ongoing research is into what are called binaural beats.

Binaural beats are an audio-based option where different frequencies are played at the same time. The thinking is that the resulting third frequency can help regulate your brain state. They’re found across the internet, including numerous collections on YouTube, but what are they and do they hold the possibility to help calm your anxiety or focus on your work? Let's find out.

The History of Binaural Beats and How They Work

Binaural beats were first identified by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, a meteorologist who primarily focused on weather and climate, in the mid-19th century. More than 100 years later, Dr. Gerald Oster published the first scientific paper on the subject in 1973. They involve what experts like Brian Taylor, AuD, senior director of audiology for Signia and an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin call “an auditory illusion.”

“When you present one tone to one ear and a second to the other ear, your brain perceives an additional tone," says Taylor. "This is the essence of binaural beats, an auditory illusion in which each ear is transmitting one frequency to the central auditory pathway. The illusion of beats is thought to originate subcortically in the medial nucleus of the superior olivary complex (landmarks in the auditory brainstem).”

The thinking and accompanying research argue that different frequencies, measured in hertz, are more applicable to different applications. Those who have extensively researched binaural beats call the theoretical underpinnings of binaural beats the 'brainwave entrainment hypothesis.'

When to Use Binaural Beats

A lot of the public narratives about binaural beats, including those we see on social media, look to apply the process to particular situations, particularly where some type of re-regulation might be useful. Some common use cases include focusing while studying, reducing anxiety or stress, and improving a person's sleep.

Another possible time to use binaural beats is when you're in pain. A 2020 study found that binaural beats reduced not just the amount of pain participants were feeling, but also decreased painkiller use.

How to Use Binaural Beats

Binaural beats have traditionally been split into two broad use cases:

• As a form of therapy to induce calmness or mindfulness, focus, or sleep
• As a so-called “digital drug” to induce a state of euphoria similar to what can be available via psychoactive drugs

While binaural beats are not used in clinical settings within audiology, Laura Bradley Pratesi, AuD, owner of Citrus Hearing Clinic, says that the practice holds similarities to other tests done to assess people’s hearing.

“We use all kinds of sound therapies in audiology. Whether it’s the bimodal neuromodulation that the Lenire device uses to treat tinnitus, or auditory training to manage central auditory processing disorders. Sound therapies have also been used to treat conditions such as hyperacusis and misophonia.”

However, Shawniqua Williams Roberson, MEng, MD, a neurologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who researches the applications of electroencephalography (EEG) says that the baseline assumptions made when it comes to how the brain processes frequencies when it comes to binaural beats may be overly simplistic.

“We often hear about trying to modulate the rhythms of the brain by generating a specific rhythm, but really…I can tell you that normal brainwaves of awake, healthy, calm people, actually don't just show the alpha rhythms all over the brain. They actually show alpha rhythms towards the back of the brain.”

Are There Benefits for Mental Health?

We keep coming back to this hiccup with regards to effectiveness. Researchers in a 2023 systematic review wrote that part of the issue is how different studies have applied various methodologies. Of the 14 studies they evaluated, there was no consensus that binaural beats created the desired effect.

Jessica McCarthy, PsyD, founder and director of Elements Psychological Services, says that, while she leans heavier on better-defined approaches such as meditation and breathwork, she considers binaural beats as something she can suggest to clients as an “add-on” that has minimal risk. Still, she cautions patients against thinking that a tool like binaural beats will make an outsized change to their mental health. 

“While I can appreciate the fact that a lot of the strategies that are most strongly supported by research take time and consistent effort (two things people might be frustrated with if they want immediate alleviation from their symptoms) before substantial results are seen, a sole and passive strategy such as this one will not yield the results that people are looking for.”

Are Binaural Beats Safe?

Binaural beats are generally considered safe. However, those who choose to use them are urged—especially if they have a brain-based disability such as epilepsy—to check in with their primary care physician before use. You are also urged, just like when you’re listening to your favorite pop-punk band, not to listen too loudly and to stop listening if doing so is creating the opposite effect. The world is depressing enough, you don’t need to add to it with your playlist.

McCarthy says that there is a wide range of audio-based strategies that can support you if binaural beats aren’t doing the trick. 

“Guided meditation is one of the strategies I use in my practice the most, as well as in my professional life. I also may offer the strategy of listening to nature sounds as low background noise, provided that the noise itself is not too distracting or stimulating. I personally can't listen to thunderstorms in the evening because it scares me a little bit! I also find some ocean wave sounds distracting, depending on how loud the waves are crashing.”

Where Can I Find Resources on Binaural Beats?

Given the mixed bag of results that researchers have discovered when diving deeper into binaural beats, it’s important to proceed with caution. There are multiple playlists on YouTube for binaural beats, though mileage may vary. There are also multiple phone apps on your app store of choice that can provide you access to binaural beats. Taylor says that this proliferation of digital options has helped binaural beats become a bit more mainstream.

“With the ubiquity of smartphones, apps and earbuds, everyone has access to trying binaural beats…Remember to get the full effects you need to listen with earbuds. This has some inherent limitations. That said, maybe worth a try to enhance concentration, reduce stress, fall asleep, or improve creativity.”

McCarthy says the most common way her clients are finding binaural beats is via social media platforms like TikTok. 

“TikTok or Instagram can be great places for patients to bring information that they may learn about on a topic like this to talk about in the office, and then I have an opportunity to provide education and clarification as to how to use them and their effectiveness, as well as to promote other strategies as a first-line defense.”

Bottom Line

It seems as if the worst case scenario, if you listen to binaural beats at a reasonable volume level, is that nothing will happen. It’s valuable to keep an eye on the ongoing research into this tool’s effectiveness—but if it’s helping you, great! If audio stimuli helps you regulate, then it may also be worth looking into strategies such as music therapy.

Or, you can return to your favorite playlists. Those never seem to let us down.