Music is such a big part of our lives. It is something that is universal and everyone enjoys from every culture. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t hear some type of song playing. Music is a big thing that connects us all together. I love listening to music while running on the treadmill, walking to class, in the shower, and jamming out in the car. I’ve noticed that whenever I listen to music it suddenly brings me into a happier state of mind. My parents always joke around with question and me how I know all the lyrics of a rap song but can barely memorize things for a test. It made me wonder, what exactly does music do to us. It enters our ears but does something way bigger then just let us jam to it.
When we listen to music we are using our whole entire brain. Scientists are still trying to figure out how exactly music effects us as much as it does, but what they do know is that music has a very beneficial effect on the brain. One of the biggest effects music has on our brain is health benefit. Daniel Levitin, is a psychologist at McGill University in Montreal, who studies the neuroscience of music. Levinitin along with associates put together three experiments to help figure out what exactly is going on in our brain when we listen to our music. Levintin published a 400 study meta- analysis. One study was done with people that were about to have surgery done. As one would think, people are very anxious before getting surgery. One group listened to music before going in and the other was given drugs to help calm them. The studies showed that the people who listened to music were actually the group there were calmer before going into the room for surgery. This is great because music is much cheaper then drugs. Not only does music help with anxiety it also helps with pain. Studies show that since it helps relax people it is great for people who are giving birth or can even be given for anesthesia while in the room getting the surgery preformed. Another reason for this is became music releases endorphins, which makes people happy. These endorphins help counter act and distract people from the pain.
Music also can have a great effect on our immune system. This is because music makes us happier which causes our body to release immune-boosting hormones. This can also lead to have less seizures and fewer headaches or migraines because of the hormones and endorphins released by ones body.
The hippocampus is a part of the limbic system that controls emotion while the prefrontal cortex controls intense emotion. The parietal lobe is the area of the brain in charge of reasoning and administering information. Music has such an impact on our brain that it can even alter these different parts. Music is a great way for stroke victims to learn how to talk again.
Music also has a big influence on people’s mood. Studies show that it significantly increased people’s mood. When someone is upset, the best thing they can do is playing a cheerful song. This is caused by the body’s release of serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that makes people happy while also releasing the neurotransmitter, dopamine, which makes people happier. It is amazing how much music changes a person’s contentment. Music can also make people more productive by putting them in a better mood. They feel more motivated and empowered.
With such a variety of music it’s hard to tell which ones will change a persons mood. As discussed earlier, music changes people’s brain waves and changes how they feel. Relaxing music helps people sleep. Many people who suffer from insomnia say that one of the best things they can do is listen to music. Scientists believe a person should listen to music 45 minutes before they try to go to sleep to help calm them. Pump up music like pop or electronic dance can even pump up people. Singing along to these songs also gives people more spirit. A study done at the Pennsylvania State University showed that listening to music really did change their mood by making them happier, more relaxed, or optimistic.
Although there is happy music there also is sad music. In one study preformed people were separated into two separate groups. One group listened to happy music while the other listened to sad. When they were done listening to the songs the groups were asked how the felt. The people who listened to the happy music were in a good mood while the people listening to the sad music were unhappy. The sad music also caused them to not have motivation to complete their tasks after.
Everyone is always hearing songs, and although we all hear the same song we all perceive it differently. This is because we all have different personalities and past experiences. In one study seventeen students listened to four different types of music. The students brain regions all acted the same but besides processing they all got different experiences. Sad music was sad for all of them but it brought up a different experience from their past, the same with happy music.
This also made me think, why do we remember songs from five years ago but we can barely memorize what we learned in class yesterday. This is because we have cement memory, which our neurons make networks with and makes us hard to forget them. This means a lot of our memory is filled with old music but since the brain consists of billions of neurons there is still room for new ones.
Music is such a big part of us, and influences us in so many ways. It would be interesting to dig deeper and see if music can have a bigger effect on ones health then medicine.
Work Cited
http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml
http://bestbinauralbeats.org/how-music-affects-our-mood/
http://examinedexistence.com/how-music-changes-your-mood/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/health/brain-music-research/
Music is one of my favorite things in the world, so it was cool to read about all of the different benefits that it provides. One interesting fact from your blog is that music was more effective in calming patients before surgery than drugs. It just shows how powerful music is; it really does create a huge impact on people all over the world.
Here is the link to an article about how music helps improve learning: http://www.nafme.org/20-important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/
Music is a huge part of many peoples lives. It can shape who they are as a person or shape the way they interpret things said and done. To me, music is a huge part of my life. Everywhere I go I feel like I am always listening to music. I enjoyed reading the numerous points you made as to why music is important. Its interesting to know that their is science that backs the claim that music is important. You offered good findings and studies that were done to prove why music is important. After reading why music is important I decided to research how music is important and what roles it plays in our daily lives. I came across a cool article that talks about how important music is. You should give it a read it is worth it! http://www.musicempowersfoundation.org/why-music/the-importance-of-music
I love listening to music. I love memorizing the lyrics and singing along when I hear my favorite songs come on the radio. For me, listening to music is kind of an escape of sorts. After a long day of classes and exams, sometimes I’ll just lay in bed and listen to music as a way to unwind and relax after a stressful day.
Great post! Music is one of the most important component in my life because it may bring me a lot of joy and thing gets bored when the world science. However, one thing I had to admit is music sometime can be really annoying. People said music can cure pain, but sometime when I was in a bad mood, music would only make things worst and drive me crazy. There are some case that music cause death, click Here to explore more about this issue.