SoundGirls.org: We all know that music plays a huge role in our everyday lives. It helps us focus on our daily tasks and helps us relax when we are stressed out. Music helps us change our mood by changing how we perceive the world. So what happens to your brain when you listen to music?
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Many of the categories that music helps with are deeply connected which allows it to further its reach of benefits. Because it helps with anxiety that relates directly to the other things mentioned like pain and sleep. Because anxiety can cause you to be in pain or be unable to sleep. I personally suffer from a lot of anxiety-related issues, and I listen to music doing most tasks. I think it greatly helps me get all my work or chores done in a more focused manner. It also is something I turn to when I want to relax or make myself feel better. But I think something that the article missed is that it is so critical what type of music you are listening to to do certain tasks. Things like if there are words or not and the BPM may determine if the music is helpful or a hindrance. So while music is helpful I think it's also important to note more specifically that certain types of music are more suited for certain situations.
I’ve long known that music helps me relax, center myself, and concentrate more on tasks at hand, but I didn’t know just how many positive benefits it has. I think it is truly incredible that music can have a tangible effect on the memory, and even help dementia patients remember things which they hadn’t before. Dementia is uncurable – and the fact that something as simple as playing reminiscent music helped patients recall previously forgotten memories is astonishing. Certainly, no cure-all, but the fact it works at all is incredible. Music is such a beautiful art form, and whether a song has spoken lyrics or not there is so much emotion, meaning, and feeling to each and every song. There are several songs I listen to which hold more than just the feelings in the song, but also memories – good times with friends, concerts I have been to, reflections of loved ones who have passed on – and they will always hold a place in my heart. All I must do is play the song and it takes me back to relive the memories I hold dear. Music is incredible.
Being a person who interprets the world mainly through the senses, I LOVE music. Out of the five senses, I would categorize it as my favorite. Music has always played a huge role in my life, as it not only stands out to me in my interpretations of media and how media impacts me, but also as a form of escapism. It allows me to focus only on how something sounds, and detach myself from the rest of the world. The article touched upon this idea briefly, as one of the topics it explored was music and anxiety. Something I have not experienced, however, is the apparent link between music and memory, and music and performance. According to the article, music can help improve both of those categories. This is not something I cannot say I think is reflective of my experience with music. I cannot study with music! It distracts me too much, I only focus on the sound. It is incredibly interesting to me how differently people can experience music, and the benefits it brings. It makes music an incredibly personal experience, which I think is one of the most exciting things about it.
I think that there is music for everyone out there. There are so many different forms of music and benefits that come from listening. I personally didn’t go out of my way to listen to music until I got to college. I would just listen to the music on the radio, listen to my sister singing (she is a musical theater major), or listen to what my friends suggested. Over the past two years I’ve found that music is a great way to understand how I am feeling and what is going on. There are certain types of music that I will gravitate towards depending on my mood. I find that classical music or low-fi hip-hop music are very helpful when I am trying to do work or read. Music can also help me feel energized for a workout or give me a boost if I don’t feel my best. Music is also a great way to connect with people who have similar music tasks!
This article laid out five different examples of how music was good for you. Most of which I’ve heard tossed around anecdotally, but the most interesting one to me is the dementia patient who suddenly had memories from before the time he was previously able to remember. I also had never heard about music being used to relieve pain which could prove super important as our society continues to live longer and have more chronic health conditions like pain. The music improving memory one is very interesting to me because I like to listen to songs with stories and I can do a pretty good job of remembering the lyrics and I guess the association with the tune makes it easier to remember. It’s interesting too because humans have been making music for a really long time even before we knew any of these things on a scientific level and just on an emotional level.
The power of music as a whole is intense because of how our brains are wired, but what is interesting is that it is a function of our whole bodies. I used to play concert violin and my teacher would remind me before I would go on to perform a solo that when you get nervous your heart speeds up, which speeds up your internal ‘metronome’ but if you are playing a slower song or working with a concert pianist you would be more accurate to the true tempo then a complicated high-paced complex piece. What I didn’t know is that it can boost memory, which is very interesting because it raises the question of what type of music facilitates this more than other genres, or whether working in the music/theatrical industry gives you benefits as a whole. We can feel the emotional gratification of listening to music but, we cannot physically tell if we are sleeping better or memory is boosting, so this is definitely so intriguing.
This article makes an interesting point in that any form of music, whether you play an instrument or simply play a song from your phone, is medicine. I had heard of music therapy before, but I didn’t realize it could be applied to so many aspects of life in a more informal and accessible way. For example, choosing whether I want to listen to music on a walk or simply walk in silence didn’t seem like that big a decision, but this article explains that when in doubt, listen to the music because it will improve many aspects of brain function. As a clarinetist, some of the topics mentioned weren’t new such as “music can relieve anxiety”. I found that when I had band class in high school, all was at ease, and it was just me and my music. I think other factors had to do with this “zen” feeling such as who you surround yourself when listening to music and what music you choose to listen to. Do you listen to music that matches your mood or do you listen to music to change your mood? That simple concept is exactly what this article is explaining, therefore, I believe music is an extremely important tool for people of all ages as it is basically subconscious therapy for your brain.
I love listening to music, and I almost always have something playing. I know for a fact that a lot of why I like listening to music is that it lets me feel fuller emotion than I normally can on my own. It also helps clear my mind of all the scattered thoughts and worries that like to constantly float around in there. And I definitely think that the type of music can also change how it impacts you. There are definitely certain types of songs that make me feel more anxious because certain sounds agitate me, or because I don’t like the singer’s voice, etc. Or if you’re trying to stay awake and get work done, the slow and moody playlist probably isn’t going to be as helpful as an upbeat one. BPM, lyrics, genre, are all factors that come into play here too.
The part of the article that talks about how it can help stimulate memories in patients with dementia reminds me of the video where they played a song for a very old ballerina. It was if her whole body remembered the music and it was pretty incredible to see.
Although I do believe that the article is based on research, I think it lacks detail on whether the genre of the music would lead to any differences in the results. From my personal experience, I can agree with the article on music helping with stress relieving. I can’t say it puts all my stress and anxiety away, but listening to familiar music makes me feel like I’m in a familiar world, so I’m not as anxious. I also like to listen to music when I’m doing work that doesn’t require me reading out loud in my head. For example, when I’m reading a paper that requires me to think really hard to understand, having music with lyrics will distract me. But when I’m drawing or even doing Maths questions, I like to have music on. One thing I’ve noticed is that listening to Chinese music can also greatly affect my productivity. When I’m reading words in English and the lyrics are in Chinese (and vice versa), I have more trouble with focusing because I automatically pay attention to the words.
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