Alleviating Chronic Stress in University Students: An EEG Analysis of Binaural Beat Therapy

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly elevated chronic stress levels, especially among university students. This study examined the effectiveness of binaural beat auditory stimulation in reducing chronic stress, using both the DASS-21 questionnaire and electroencephalography (EEG) as measurement tools. Six students identified with high stress were randomly assigned to one of three four-week interventions: alpha binaural beat music, beta binaural beat music, or non-binaural beat control music. EEG analysis revealed a general increase in power spectrum across all groups, indicating changes in brainwave activity. Notably, a significant increase in sample entropy—a measure of neural complexity—was observed exclusively in the alpha binaural beat group by week four. Correspondingly, this group showed the greatest reduction in self-reported DASS-21 stress scores. These findings suggest that alpha binaural beat stimulation promotes effective neural entrainment and is more successful than beta or non-binaural beat stimuli in alleviating chronic stress among university students. This study highlights the potential of binaural beat auditory stimulation as a non-invasive tool for improving mental health.