Have you ever had a bad day and then started to listen to music and it’s almost as if you start to feel better? Or maybe have little to no energy and then a certain song comes on and your body becomes pulsed with energy out of a lost nowhere? It is without a doubt that music has some kind of effect on our minds and bodies to cause us to respond a certain way depending on what is coming through our headphones at that particular moment.
Through doing some research it is clear to me that music has the ability to influence our minds. The list that http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/09/10-magical-effects-music-has-on-the-mind.php has come up with regarding the effects music has on the brain is quite interesting. Two that stuck out to me where getting the chills or amped up energy with increased happiness. I found these most interesting because I have felt these sensations on multiple occasions before due to music.
Another interesting thing that http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/health/brain-music-research/ explained was how the same song can affect or produce a different experience from person to person. The science behind how music allows us to feel differently after hearing a certain song is based on the amount of dopamine released by the brain due to the type of music. This would explain the euphoric feelings people can experience due to music because dopamine is a “feel good” chemical that the brain releases.
Music can also have negative affects on the body. According to http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html Dr. Ballam said, “The human mind shuts down after three or four repetitions of a rhythm, or a melody, or a harmonic progression.” Furthermore, excessive repetition causes people to release control of their thoughts. Rhythmic repetition is used by people who are trying to push certain ethics in their music.
I think It would be an interesting experiment to see how five people would react to the same song. If five people’s brains were monitored while the same song was playing it would be easy to prove the theory that people react differently to the same song, that is, if the conclusion supports the hypothesis.
http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/09/10-magical-effects-music-has-on-the-mind.php
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/health/brain-music-research/
http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html
I 110% agree that music controls a humans mind. Music is a huge part of my life and my emotions. My feelings change whenever I listen to different types of music. For example, before a big game I would listen to pump-up or inspirational music to hype me up for the game. My body always gets the butterflies, my attitude becomes more serious, and I just get very tense. When I listen to music about love or romance I become more happy and loving. I have noticed that I become more friendly as well. Finally, after I listen to sad and depressing music, I tend to become so sad that I isolate myself in my room. There has been times where I would listen to sad music and immediately became sad for the rest of the day. It is so weird, but for some reason music has a huge affect on my feelings.
I am most likely a huge drama queen though!
For more information, check out this very interesting article: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/10/19/the-power-of-music-mind-control-by-rhythmic-sound/
I love music ! I think that music does have a significant effect on the human brain varying from person to person. People are affected differently by different genres of music and their mood before listening to the music. When I am in a bad mood and do not want to talk to anyone music helps clear my head and kind of softens me up a little. Great post!
Good post, I was not aware that music can control dopamine levels in the brain. It would really interesting to know if the reaction of music to the brain is different per person, or are the effects on the brain are similar. The part that i’m having trouble comprehending is that: Dr. Ballam said, “The human mind shuts down after three or four repetitions of a rhythm, or a melody, or a harmonic progression.” What exactly does “your mind shut down mean? If your brain shuts down you will die. It would very interesting to know if music can help with mind controlling.
From a personal standpoint I completely see how it is possible for music to affect one’s mood. However, I have to wonder how this has been measured or proven due to this being a mainly reported increase? Like, how does one measure mood? It isn’t exactly an observable activity so I’d be curious to know how this is possible. Alexandra Carmichael proposes a possible way in which this is measured in the article How Is Mood Measured? (Get Your Mood On: Part 2) but I’m curious to hear what you have to say!
In additional to music making people feel better, many believe that it can have an influence on your unborn child as well. http://www.expectantmothersguide.com/articles/the-benefits-of-prenatal-music/ shows many of the benefits of prenatal music and your child. It’s crazy to think that an unborn baby can actually listen to and remember some of the notes that they hear in the womb. One of the really cool things this website mentioned was that when you play certain songs while the baby is in the womb, you can play them again once the baby is born and it can help ease them to sleep. The familiar notes and tones of soft music heard when in the womb is remembered and can be a great way to get a fussy baby to sleep.