Music is an amazing kind of art, as no other means of transferring information has been able to overcome all possible barriers whether it is linguistic, age, or national ones. However, what else do we know about it? Modern scientists believe that it is not just art since it affects not only our consciousness but also our body.
Music makes a person smarter
It activates the most diverse parts of the brain; we memorize lyrics and motifs. It is well known that different melodies and rhythms cause different emotions. Moreover, it allows restoring the function of the brain in cases of craniocerebral trauma.
In the case of musicians, especially those who started playing a musical instrument in their childhood, it affects them even more dramatically. One of the studies on this topic showed that learning to play a musical instrument contributes to the sustainable development of non-verbal thinking.
Sad melodies raise your mood
A study published in the Frontiers in Psychology magazine showed that sad melodies act on a person not as expected. Researchers have found out that sad songs cause two types of emotions: recognizable and experienced one. Although the songs were perceived by the subjects as tragic, when listening to it, they did not fall into depression. In fact, the participants experienced a wide array of emotions ranging from romantic to quite joyful ones.
Music can heal
In the literary work “The Effect of Music on the Human Body and Mind”, Dawn Kent lists interesting facts about the impact of songs on a person’s physical condition. Thus, Plato offered to use classic music to treat anxiety whereas Aristotle considered this form of art to be a tool for getting rid of an unstable emotional condition.
Songs are able to regulate the relationship between the sexes
Tired after hard day? According to the observations of clinical psychologist and family counselor Curtis Levang, listening to songs can increase libido. Urologist J. Mark Hong, for example, believes that songs and sex are similar: both cause strong emotional responses. With the help of music, you can raise the level of serotonin in the blood and improve your health in certain types of diseases.
Songs can help with dates too. According to a French study, single women who listened to romantic songs were much more willing to give their phone number to males than those who listened to something neutral.
Music helps when exercising
Music increases endurance and helps spend resources more efficiently under physical stress. Thus, the study of Let’s Get Physical: The Psychology of Effective Workout Music shows that riding a bike while listening to songs allows spending 7% less oxygen than when riding without it.
In general, it is no surprise that Spotify launched the Spotify Running service, which allows to track the pace of the runner and play a song with the appropriate beat rate per minute in the playlist.
Playing a musical instrument develops the brain
It simultaneously stimulates different areas of the brain. This is especially beneficial for children and adolescents, whose brain is still being formed. Neurobiologists from the Northwestern University in Illinois studied how learning how to play a musical instrument affects brain development. According to their data, listening to songs positively affects the ability to learn, even if the music classes start in high school or university. Speaking of learning, you can look for professionals to pay to write an essay and enjoy your free time exploring new music styles.
Singing in the shower is beneficial for your health
This is confirmed by Dr. Jerry Saliman. According to him, singing aloud is good for health, especially for the older generation. Singing can improve the functioning of the brain of elderly people suffering from aphasia (complete or partial loss of speech) or Parkinson’s disease. In addition, many old people live alone, and because of chronic ailments such as arthritis, they have to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, listening to songs will have a positive impact on their well-being. In addition, singing improves the performance of the respiratory system and is able to reduce shortness of breath, and it also can help to relax.
Music stimulates different parts of the brain
Melodies and other sounds enter the ear in the form of sound waves. They create vibrations on the tympanic membrane, which are then converted into electrical signals. These signals enter the auditory cortex of the brain via the auditory nerve. The latter deciphers the sound into something recognizable and understandable for us.
Unlike other sounds, music affects not only the auditory cortex. With MRI, scientists have discovered that it affects brain regions associated with emotions, memory, and movement.
Music therapy helps to endure difficulties
Musical therapists use rhythm and melody to help people restore mental abilities lost due to brain trauma or developmental disorders. For example, people after a stroke cannot speak, but they can sing the words. Listening to songs together helps establish contact with a relative who suffers from dementia.
Normalization of metabolism
Soothing sounds, which you can encounter in theaters, for instance, tend to increase the production of growth hormone. If you are an adult and do not grow anymore, you should know that this same hormone is responsible for the normalization of metabolism! Here is another interesting fact: the growth hormone can prevent the occurrence of a dangerous inflammation because it also has a positive effect on the immune system.
Bio Elizabeth Skinner:
Elizabeth Skinner is an American psychologist who studies the effects of audio on human body. In her spare time, she gives college students a hand on EduBirdie with their psychology essays.