While burnout in the medical field is well documented, affecting about half of healthcare workers, far fewer studies have explored ways to address it. Now, a Northwestern Medicine study has found one simple intervention may help. In the new study, 724 Northwestern Medicine physicians and neurology staff and Chicago-area social workers laid in a quiet, dimly lit room and listened to 20 minutes of live or pre-recorded restorative improvisatory music consisting of slow, meandering melodies interspersed with periods of silence. (Listen to recordings used in the study.)

After the intervention, the clinicians reported improvements in mood and energy levels, with average self-reported energy increasing from 56% before the intervention to 83% after it.