Claim reviewed: Isochronic tones or monaural beats are more effective than binaural beats.
What do we know?
In a 16-person EEG study, monaural beats produced a stronger cortical response than binaural beats, but mood did not change with either. In a surgical trial with 90 patients, there was no anxiety difference between binaural and isochronic groups. In a 221-person home study, monaural and binaural beats did not differ from each other or from a beat-free sound in sleep latency.
What don't we know?
There are not enough studies directly comparing the methods on meaningful outcomes, and a stronger EEG response has not been shown to mean a better outcome.
Wording we use in the app: No method has been shown to be superior.
Sources (3)
Orozco Perez ve ark. 2020 · Experiment · 16 participants
In a 16-person EEG experiment, both binaural and monaural beats produced a brainstem response at the tone frequencies and a cortical response at the beat frequency; the cortical response to binaural beats was weaker than to monaural beats. Neither stimulus changed mood.
Orozco Perez HD, Dumas G, Lehmann A. Binaural Beats through the Auditory Pathway: From Brainstem to Connectivity Patterns. eNeuro. 2020;7(2):ENEURO.0232-19.2020. doi:10.1523/ENEURO.0232-19.2020 PMID 32066611 Go to source
Akkurt ve Ekici 2026 · Randomised controlled trial · 90 participants
In 90 patients undergoing impacted lower third molar surgery in Türkiye, neither binaural beats nor isochronic tones reduced anxiety compared with no sound; only isolated physiological differences appeared. Of the patients who received sound, 78.3% said they would prefer it again in future procedures.
No significant between-group differences in pre- or postoperative anxiety scores
In press; no volume or pages yet.
Akkurt O, Ekici Ö. Effect of binaural beats and isochronic tones on anxiety during impacted mandibular third molar surgery: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.ijom.2026.07.006 PMID 42471303 Go to source
Shumov ve ark. 2023 · Experiment · 221 participants
221 people fell asleep at home with an app on their own phone while listening to three kinds of monotonous sound at the same pitch: binaural beats, monaural beats and a sound without beats. Sleep latency did not differ significantly between the three conditions (p = 0.21).
The article is in Russian; this summary is based on the English abstract.
Shumov DE, Sveshnikov DS, Bakaeva ZV, Dorokhov VB. Monotonous sound stimuli embedded with either binaural or monaural beats have the same effect on sleep latency: study on a large subject group. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2023;123(4):109-113. doi:10.17116/jnevro2023123041109 PMID 37084374 Go to source
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026 · Next review: 3 April 2027