Raga, Emotion, and Psychological Well-Being: a Systematic and Critical Review of the Indian Classical Music Research.

This is a review of systematic literature on the connection between Indian classical music, especially ragas and psychological well-being. The review is interdisciplinary as it summarizes the research in musicology, psychology, neuroscience, and therapy in accordance with PRISMA 2020.The study evaluates emotional control, stress reduction and cognitive outcomes relating to the exposure to raga based on Indian aesthetics theories such as Rasa-Bhava and modern theories, including affective neuroscience and music cognition. The results show that it has strong therapeutic potential, but there are methodological discrepancies and Western epistemological hegemony. The review suggests an integrative conceptual framework involving indigenous aesthetics and modern science, with future opportunities for interdisciplinary and culturally relevant clinical research.