Binaural beats are an auditory illusion that has stress-busing properties. Proponents claim that listening to binaural beats can boost focus, promote relaxation, and reduce stress and anxiety.
However, some studies concluded that the impact of binaural beats on cognitive performance "remains to be seen."

Binaural beats

Health

<ul>
<li>Binaural beats is a perceptual illusion that happens when two slightly different frequencies (notes) are played into each ear separately, usually using headphones. </li>
<li>The resonance between the two frequencies is interpreted as a third sound - or binaural beat - and is heard as a frequency between the two played frequencies.</li>
<li>The claim is that this third frequency prompts brain cells to begin firing at the same frequency, which purportedly is similar to the frequency of brain waves that occur during deep sleep at our most relaxed states.</li>
</ul>

Explaining binaural beats

Specific frequencies are thought to be involved in specific cognitive tasks. 
<ul>
<li>During deep sleep, the predominant brain activity occurs with frequencies between 1 and 4 Hertz (delta waves.) Delta waves are associated with learning and motivation. </li>
<li>Theta waves (4-7Hz) are linked to memory and emotional regulation.</li>
</ul>
Brain entrainment - where brain cells fire at the same frequency - is a real effect that happens in response to particular rhythmic frequencies perceived by our senses. A deep-pitched musical tone can cause your brain cells to start firing at the same frequency.

Different types of brain waves

<ul>
<li>The authors played binaural or monaural (normal) beats to 16 participants, and recorded their brain activity with EEG.</li>
<li>They found both beats can entrain the brain to their particular frequency, but participants described no significant effect on their mood changes. </li>
<li>However, binaural beats can generate "cross-frequency connectivity," where the brain coordinates its activity across different types of brain waves. </li>
<li>It's then possible that binaural beats can be beneficial to some types of cognition, including memory recall.</li>
<li>An analysis of 35 studies demonstrated a modest effect on attention, memory, anxiety, and pain perception. However, these were not tested in the current study.</li>
</ul>

Research conclusions on binaural beats

<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316997/original/file-20200225-24651-1wxens8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=8%2C34%2C5734%2C3768&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" width="496" height="326"><figcaption dir="auto">shutterstock. Shutterstock.com</figcaption></figure>You may have heard of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that has been touted as having stress-busing properties, and is the subject of countless <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVkXKowg3b0" dir="ltr">hours of videos</a> on YouTube and elsewhere.Proponents claim that listening to binaural beats can boost <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Tt3LoygCQ" dir="ltr">focus and concentration</a>, promote <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEM0pXE1twA" dir="ltr">relaxation</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnRcvJKZeVM" dir="ltr">reduce stress and anxiety</a>.But in a <a href="https://www.eneuro.org/content/early/2020/02/07/ENEURO.0232-19.2020" dir="ltr">study published this month</a>, researchers concluded that “whether binaural beats have an impact on cognitive performance or other mood measurements remains to be seen”.It prompted media reports that the claimed mood-altering effects are <a href="https://www.zmescience.com/science/binaural-beats-placebo-0523/" dir="ltr">probably no stronger than for other types of relaxing sounds</a>, and that the touted effects may be <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200217143447.htm" dir="ltr">just a placebo</a>.<div class="embed-placeholder" data-type="youtube" data-id="SAyA7rfyF38"></div><figcaption>Here’s three hours’ worth – are you relaxed yet?</figcaption><h2>What are binaural beats?</h2><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/auditory-beats-in-the-brain/" dir="ltr">Binaural beats</a> is a perceptual illusion that occurs when two slightly different frequencies (notes) are played into each ear separately, typically using headphones. The resonance between the two frequencies is interpreted as a third sound (termed a “binaural beat”, because it involves two sound inputs, and is heard as a frequency in between the two played frequencies).It has been claimed that this third frequency prompts brain cells to begin firing at the same frequency – a process called “entrainment”.The purported relaxing effect is allegedly due to the fact that these frequencies are similar to the frequency of brain waves that occur during deep sleep, as opposed to the higher-frequency brain waves associated with conscious activities. In other words, listening to binaural beats allegedly promotes brain waves associated with our most relaxed states.<h2>What are these different types of brain waves?</h2>The brain is made of billions of nerve cells (neurons), which transmit information to one another across huge networks of interconnections. It is thought that large groups of neurons can fire together to share information within the brain. The frequency of this synchronous firing can be measured with <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/eeg/about/pac-20393875" dir="ltr">EEG</a> (electroencephalograpy) electrodes on the head. Specific frequencies are thought to be involved in specific <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(03)00289-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1364661303002894%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" dir="ltr">cognitive tasks</a>. For example, during deep sleep the predominant brain activity happens with frequencies of between 1 and 4 Hertz, so-called delta waves. Delta waves are also associated with learning and motivation. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763406001163" dir="ltr">Theta waves</a> (4-7Hz), meanwhile, are linked to memory and emotional regulation. We might almost think of these various types of brain waves as different languages that the brain uses for different functions.We also know that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876015000331?via%3Dihub" dir="ltr">brain entrainment</a> is a genuine effect that can occur in response to particular rhythmic frequencies perceived by our senses. A deep-pitched musical tone or a lightbulb flickering a few times a second can indeed cause your brain cells to start firing at the same frequency.But does this entrainment necessarily have any effect on our mood? As the authors of the new study point out, there is still little convincing evidence for this. <h2>What did the new research actually find?</h2>The authors played binaural or monaural (normal) beats to 16 participants, and recorded their brain activity with EEG.They found that both binaural and monaural beats can entrain the brain to their particular frequency. But when they asked participants to describe any changes to their mood, they found that neither types of sound had any significant effect.However, the researchers did find that binaural beats can elicit “cross-frequency connectivity”, in which the brain coordinates its activity across different types of brain waves. Some <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661310002068" dir="ltr">cognitive tasks</a>, such as learning and memory formation, require networks within the brain to communicate with one another despite using different types of brain waves. To return to the analogy of different brain wave frequencies being like different languages, your brain sometimes needs to translate messages from one language into another, and vice versa.If binaural beats can boost this process, it’s possible that it might have a beneficial effect on some types of cognition, perhaps including memory recall. The authors of the new study did not look at that particular question, although a recent <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00426-018-1066-8" dir="ltr">analysis of 35 studies</a> demonstrated a modest effect on attention, memory, anxiety and pain perception. None of these were tested in the current study. There are other ways to influence our brain function, such as by applying electric currents to the brain via electrodes stuck to the head, a technique known as transcranial current stimulation (tCS). There is evidence this can significantly improve cognitive skills in people affected by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2016.00574/full" dir="ltr">neurological disease</a> and in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154615000819" dir="ltr">healthy individuals</a>.In the meantime, if you enjoy listening to binaural beats, then by all means keep doing it – it won’t do you any harm. But it may not be doing you quite as much good as you perhaps imagined.

The internet is awash with videos that claim to use 'binaural beats' to improve your focus or relieve stress. But while they can influence your brain, the touted mood-enhancing effects may not be.

You may have heard of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that has been touted as having stress-busing properties, and is the subject of countless <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVkXKowg3b0">hours of videos </a>on YouTube and elsewhere. Proponents claim that listening to binaural beats can boost <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Tt3LoygCQ">focus and concentration </a>, promote <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEM0pXE1twA">relaxation </a>, and <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnRcvJKZeVM">reduce stress and anxiety </a>. But in a <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.eneuro.org/content/early/2020/02/07/ENEURO.0232-19.2020">study published this month </a>, researchers concluded that “whether binaural beats have an impact on cognitive performance or other mood measurements remains to be seen”.

It prompted media reports that the claimed mood-altering effects are <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.zmescience.com/science/binaural-beats-placebo-0523/">probably no stronger than for other types of relaxing sounds </a>, and that the touted effects may be <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200217143447.htm">just a placebo </a>. <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/auditory-beats-in-the-brain/">Binaural beats </a>is a perceptual illusion that occurs when two slightly different frequencies (notes) are played into each ear separately, typically using headphones. The resonance between the two frequencies is interpreted as a third sound (termed a “binaural beat”, because it involves two sound inputs, and is heard as a frequency in between the two played frequencies).

It has been claimed that this third frequency prompts brain cells to begin firing at the same frequency – a process called “entrainment”. The purported relaxing effect is allegedly due to the fact that these frequencies are similar to the frequency of brain waves that occur during deep sleep, as opposed to the higher-frequency brain waves associated with conscious activities. In other words, listening to binaural beats allegedly promotes brain waves associated with our most relaxed states.

What are these different types of brain waves?

The brain is made of billions of nerve cells (neurons), which transmit information to one another across huge networks of interconnections. It is thought that large groups of neurons can fire together to share information within the brain. The frequency of this synchronous firing can be measured with <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/eeg/about/pac-20393875">EEG </a>(electroencephalograpy) electrodes on the head.

Specific frequencies are thought to be involved in specific <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(03)00289-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1364661303002894%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">cognitive tasks </a>. For example, during deep sleep the predominant brain activity happens with frequencies of between 1 and 4 Hertz, so-called delta waves. Delta waves are also associated with learning and motivation. <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763406001163">Theta waves </a>(4-7Hz), meanwhile, are linked to memory and emotional regulation.

We might almost think of these various types of brain waves as different languages that the brain uses for different functions. We also know that <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876015000331?via%3Dihub">brain entrainment </a>is a genuine effect that can occur in response to particular rhythmic frequencies perceived by our senses. A deep-pitched musical tone or a lightbulb flickering a few times a second can indeed cause your brain cells to start firing at the same frequency.

But does this entrainment necessarily have any effect on our mood? As the authors of the new study point out, there is still little convincing evidence for this. The authors played binaural or monaural (normal) beats to 16 participants, and recorded their brain activity with EEG. They found that both binaural and monaural beats can entrain the brain to their particular frequency. But when they asked participants to describe any changes to their mood, they found that neither types of sound had any significant effect.

However, the researchers did find that binaural beats can elicit “cross-frequency connectivity”, in which the brain coordinates its activity across different types of brain waves. Some <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661310002068">cognitive tasks </a>, such as learning and memory formation, require networks within the brain to communicate with one another despite using different types of brain waves. To return to the analogy of different brain wave frequencies being like different languages, your brain sometimes needs to translate messages from one language into another, and vice versa.

If binaural beats can boost this process, it’s possible that it might have a beneficial effect on some types of cognition, perhaps including memory recall. The authors of the new study did not look at that particular question, although a recent <a dir="ltr" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00426-018-1066-8">analysis of 35 studies </a>demonstrated a modest effect on attention, memory, anxiety and pain perception. None of these were tested in the current study.

There are other ways to influence our brain function, such as by applying electric currents to the brain via electrodes stuck to the head, a technique known as transcranial current stimulation (tCS). There is evidence this can significantly improve cognitive skills in people affected by <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2016.00574/full">neurological disease </a>and in <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154615000819">healthy individuals </a>.

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Sounds like hype: there's scant evidence the 'binaural beats' illusion relaxes your brain

Binaural beats

Explaining binaural beats

Different types of brain waves

Research conclusions on binaural beats

Binaural Beats: The Auditory Illusion People Claim Can Heal Your Brain

This Is Your Brain on Exercise

How Brain Activity Is Measured

Bite‑sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Sounds like hype: there's scant evidence the 'binaural beats' illusion relaxes your brain

Binaural beats

Explaining binaural beats

Different types of brain waves

Research conclusions on binaural beats

Binaural Beats: The Auditory Illusion People Claim Can Heal Your Brain

This Is Your Brain on Exercise

How Brain Activity Is Measured

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career