The benefits of music🎵

Hello Charlie! I decided to talk about the positive effects of music as my first article. I always wondered if all types of music could affect us positively, this article was the occasion for me to do some research about it.

Did you know there are many scientific benefits to listening to music/playing an instrument ?

Many of the beneficial effects of music on the brain are not limited to any single genre. Whether you're listening to jazz like Ronnie Scott’s music , classic, pop or rock music like The Beatles’ singles ; different styles can produce the same results as long as they match your musical preferences.

Effects on memory

University of Kansas Medical Center researchers conducted an experiment where they divided 70 healthy adults into three groups depending on their amount of musical experience : one to nine years of music lessons ; at least 10 years of musical study ; no musical training, then made them pass mental acuity tests. Adults with the greatest amount of musical experience did best on these tests, followed by adults with less musical study and finally those who never took music lessons.

According to the article from the University of Arizona, playing an instrument increases gray matter volume in some areas of the brain so musicians often experience improvement in brain functions like auditory processing and learning.

Stanford medicine university’s research team in California also showed that music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory.

 Listening to music has been shown to improve memory functioning ; people with a lot of music experience had higher scores on cognitive tests compared to non-musicians. They also scored high on tests related to visual and spatial memory, object naming, and the brain's ability to adapt to new information. 

Background music may improve performance for test takers. According to research, individuals listening to music were able to finish more test questions during the allowed time, and answered more questions correctly.

Effects on anxiety, stress

Listening to slow or calming music regularly can help our body relax. In the long run, we experience less pain and our body has a faster recovery time and depression can be reduced.

Listening to music releases endorphins in the brain which give us a feeling of excitement, relieves pain and helps stabilize the immune system. With high levels of endorphins, we deal with less negative effects of stress. Music can also lower the perceived strength of pain.

Among all types of music, the ones that reduce stress the most and are the most effective are :

⇢Native American music

⇢Drums and flutes

⇢Sounds of rain, thunder and nature sounds

⇢Light jazz, classical and easy listening music

Music connects with the nervous system such as brain function, blood pressure and heartbeat and the limbic system (feelings and emotions). For example, when slow music is played, the body reacts to it. The heart rate slows down and blood pressure drops. This slows down breathing which releases tension in the neck, shoulders, stomach and back.

 

To conclude, despite the risks for our ears when exposed to music with a high volume, music can be beneficial in every point of view and acts on our brain and body.

Thank you for reading my article, I hope you liked it :))