INTRODUCTION
We have so many things to be done in our day-to-day life. Some are non-negotiable and others could be left behind. Should listening to Music be one of the non-negotiable things to include in your daily routine??? Together we will try to answer this question by exploring, learning, forming an opinion and possibly gaining a positive HABIT out of this read! So let’s PLAY IN…
BACKGROUND
We all know the word “MUSIC” but let’s briefly explore the type of music and its effect on us. When it comes to Soothing music like Jazz it helps us with distress and has healing powers. Upbeat music releases endorphins which make us happy and increase our immune. On the other hand, Pop music boosts energy and helps us exercise better. Rhythmic drumming helps in meditation. Classical music helps recall memories and deters crime. Metal is good for our sense of self and gives us a strong sense of identity. Rap music can help fight against depression. Country music evokes feelings of internal joy. WOW! Quite a Play!!! The concept – We are What we eat resembles very well with Our Mood is What we hear! Give your next play a mindful thought. To understand the effect of music on humans, let’s understand some researchers in the next section.
IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS
Let’s hear or as we should say “Let’s PLAY” it from the experts.
The following is the list of some courses offered by popular institutes on MUSIC AND BRAIN, helping us shape our opinion on why listening to music should be a daily habit.
- Berklee College of Music – Music and the BrainHarvard University – The Neuroscience of Music
- Stanford University – Music and Neuroscience
- Juilliard School – Music and Neuroscience
- The University of Edinburgh – Music and the Mind
- The Royal College of Music (RCM), London – Music and Brain
And the list goes on….
A lot of research has been done in different areas which shows the effect of music on the human brain. Let’s get a deep dive into brain response to music.
Here are some insightful studies that will shape the core of this discussion.
Patrick Whelan, a Harvard Medical School lecturer in Paediatrics, part-time, at Massachusetts General Hospital and instructor of the Harvard Extension School course Music and the Mind refers to people sitting in a church suggesting that the music puts everyone in the same emotional space. He gives a very interesting theory as to why music affects and leaves an impression on us; he believes the answer lies partly in evolutionary biology. The earliest mammals had to rely on their hearing and sense of smell as defensive mechanisms — they were hyperfocused and hyperattentive. According to Whelan, the modern experience of listening to live music can be viewed as a vestige of that primaeval adaptation. In a performance venue, “there’s an incredibly complex sound signature all around you,” Whelan says. “The brain has to sift through all the ambient noise in a concert hall. It’s a much more primitive form of listening compared to a focused conversation.”
These acoustics — just like the crescendo of an approaching predator — travel through the ear and into the temporal lobe, which parses the soundscape, identifies sounds, and tags their components as familiar or unfamiliar. The salience of these sounds — whether a person responds to them emotionally and motivationally — influences the autonomic nervous system (ANS), a network that controls certain involuntary processes like breathing and heart rate. The valence of the music, which signals whether the music feels positive, negative, or somewhere in between, influences the ANS, too. These factors are among the reasons why our heart rate goes up when we hear loud experimental music or heavy metal might make us feel uncomfortable if we’re not used to it.
Music also lights up nearly all of the brain — including the hippocampus and amygdala, which activate emotional responses to music through memory; the limbic system, which governs pleasure, motivation, and reward; and the body’s motor system. This is why “it’s easy to tap your feet or clap your hands to musical rhythms,” says Andrew Budson, MD ’93, chief of cognitive and behavioural neurology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System.
Another insightful study about Alzheimer’s, Usually in the late stages, Alzheimer’s patients are unresponsive,” neuroscientist Kiminobu Sugaya says. “But once you put in the headphones that play [their favourite] music, their eyes light up. They start moving and sometimes singing. The effect lasts maybe 10 minutes or so even after you turn off the music.” This can be seen on an MRI, where “lots of different parts of the brain light up,”
Music can also help us in dealing with depression, healing, loneliness and anxiety, the following studies suggest some fascinating facts. Berklee College of Music conducted a study on COVID-19, where the average age of participants was 43 ± 15 years, and 37% were male. 88.9% reported that music engagement reduced loneliness. This review demonstrates that music may have had a beneficial impact on loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their findings suggest that the use of music is an accessible method to cope with feelings of loneliness which can improve overall wellbeing during times of social isolation.
Another good finding was that the effect of music on our brains has clinical implications as well. Growing evidence suggests, for example, that listening to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major can reduce the frequency of seizures in some people with epilepsy. Other conditions and diseases, ranging from Parkinson’s to depression to Alzheimer’s, could someday have therapeutic solutions derived from an understanding of music. For instance, by identifying the exact type of music able to provoke a particular cognitive, motor, or emotional response, there could be progress toward healing, improving, or compensating for disrupted brain function in various diseases. An increased understanding of brain mechanisms can facilitate this.
CONCLUSION
In today’s world where REGULAR is LUXURY! The more connected we are through Social Media, the more lonely we are! We are so busy making an earning, that we forget to live a life. Concluding our previous discussion – if music can help us in a diseased state – have you ever imagined what wonders it could do in a healthy mental and physical state?
Scientifically, the dorsal and ventral striatum release dopamine when listening to pleasurable music. The activity in these structures is known to be associated with the reward system of the human brain.
Listening to music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights up” when our ear perceives music.
If a good habit can elevate your mood and give you the right energy, then why not?
Some inspiring Quotes to motivate you to turn Music into a Habit!
“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”: German poet Berthold Auerbach
“Music is the soundtrack of your life.” – Dick Clark
“Music is the poetry of the air.” – Richter
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
I hope this read shapes a fixed daily time, in your Life’s Rhythmic Play!!! – Happy Listening
