Mental Health

The Mental Benefits

The role of music in one’s life is an important one. As noted in the most recent post, there are several emotional benefits to playing and listening to music, whether it’s bright and happy, slow and relaxed, or sometimes even somber.

And, since music engages every part of the brain, there are also numerous ways it mentally enhances us.

Handpicked Songs Increase Productivity

Hearing music, especially that selected by the listener, has been shown to boost performance in the workplace (as well as in the world of academia).

Studies have documented that office employees who choose their own music are likely to finish tasks faster and devise better solutions than their colleagues who are not allowed to listen to their preferred type of music.

Having Trouble Paying Attention?

A correlation has been made between listening to tranquil classics or relaxing music and an increase in the length and strength of concentration regardless of the listener’s age or ability level.

Although it has not yet been determined which kind of music is best, or what musical environment is required, a number of studies have noted the connection between music and attention span.

A Lesson in Music

Whether music is taught in school or at home, it can help students improve their test scores and language development as well as increase their spatial intelligence (understanding how things work together).

Learning music at an early age promotes brain plasticity (the brain’s capacity to change and grow), and children who study music have been shown to perform better in reading, math, and language arts than their non-musical peers. As few as four years of music lessons has been linked to increased brain functionality, even when tested forty years later.

A study conducted on babies who were not yet old enough to walk or talk revealed that those who listened to nursery rhymes and were shown how to play drums smiled more often and communicated better than infants who were not given music lessons.

How’s Your Memory?

Songs, especially those composed by Mozart, have the power to affect memory. A pattern of sixty beats per minute—which defines a considerable amount of baroque music—concurrently stimulates the left and right brain, an action that maximizes the retention of information. Furthermore, playing an instrument, and singing, simultaneously engages each side of the brain, allowing the brain to better process information.

Studies have shown that particular types of music are adept at helping listeners recall memories. Material learned while listening to a certain song can often be recalled simply by thinking of that song.

Does Age Matter?

Music has been shown to improve memory performance in people of all ages. The benefits of musical training at a young age are plentiful, and clear evidence exists that children who study music develop better memories than their peers who go without music lessons.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is that seniors who take up an instrument for the first time or who regularly sing and dance reap great psychological rewards. That’s because music has been shown to ward off memory problems and cognitive decline more than most other activities.

So now we know music can boost our spirits, increase our memory retention and recall, and helps us be more productive. In the third installment of this three-part series on how music affects the brain, we’ll explore the many physical benefits attributed to listening to and playing music.

The Emotional Benefits

“The Universal Language – Music”. Everyone (human beings; animals; plants) enjoys some form of music! Some of us might have forgotten this due to stress or busy lifestyle but we know when our favorite music plays, it changes our chemistry and affect our mood. So let’s give ourselves this permission to enjoy it for at least 15 minutes/day. Its meditational and uplifting!

Numerous studies have touted the myriad benefits of listening to music, an activity among few others that stimulates every known part of the brain. From boosting creativity to increasing exercise performance, music can be helpful in many ways.

Not all music is created equally, though, and if it’s too loud or jarring, it can be harmful. However, listening to—or better yet, playing—most music, at a moderate volume, is a great way to enhance your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

So what are some of the reasons it’s good to turn on the radio, pop in your headphones, or hit ‘play’ on your iTunes list?

In the first post of this three-part series on how music affects the brain, we’ll look at its emotional benefits.

Listening to music lights up the brain’s limbic system, which is associated with emotions. Therefore, it can—and does—greatly affect us on an emotional level.

Note the Chemical Change

It has been documented that listening to music increases the “feel-good” chemical dopamine, which is part of the pleasure-reward system.

In addition, hearing live music or playing music with others activates the production of oxytocin, which is the brain chemical that helps us form personal bonds. Some evidence suggests that a boost in oxytocin created from listening to music can result in a person being more generous and trustworthy.

Moreover, listening to and playing music often lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Slow, quiet, classical music is most proven to minimize stress on people of all ages, even infants.

Music is a Mood Enhancer

Many studies have documented that listening to music can not only reduce negative emotions, it can actually instill feelings of positivity. Upbeat, cheerful songs in particular seem to most effectively induce optimistic outlooks.

People all over the world can attest to music’s ability to lift their spirits, and modern research backs that up. The psychotherapeutic benefits are now well-substantiated, which means music can indeed help “heal the soul”.

Is Sad Music Helpful?

A recent study showed that participants were able to identify a neutral face as happy or sad based on the type of music they had just listened to. The ability to hear sad music and then consider someone to be sad can lead to listeners being more empathetic towards others.

Also, while it may seem counter-intuitive, listening to sad music can be cathartic. Somber songs can help people who are going through rough times get in touch with their emotions, which is a vital step in the healing process.

Music is more than a mere art—it’s a beneficial tool for our emotional health. To reap the most rewards for your emotional state, err on the side of bright, lively songs or slow, peaceful tunes rather than anything too raucous.

In the next post, we’ll look at how music affects us on a mental level.