Source: Ashford.edu
Listening to music is one of the simplest ways to sharpen our brain. Do you know that? Well, if you are not a music lover, then you’re missing the potential benefits of music to your mind.
No doubt, music has some benefits to one’s health and well-being. It can affect you physically. Learning how music can affect the human brain needs deep study and the capability to probe the mystery of the human mind. The outcome is a very interesting idea of what music can play when it comes to learning, brain development, mood, and well-being.
How Music Affects Your Mind and Wellbeing
One of the things that can occur to your brain when you listen to music is the triggering and stimulation of the pleasure centers that produce the neurotransmitter called dopamine.
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for making you feel happy. The response is extremely quick. Your brain can anticipate the most enjoyable peaks in common music. You may even experience the so-called dopamine rush.
Aside from making you feel happy, music can also give health benefits. Studies show listening to music encourages the production of antibodies that boost immunity and cells that protect you against microorganisms like bacteria.
Experts found music to be effective in various treatment scenes for various problems. It can help in dealing with premature birth, depression, and even Parkinson’s disease.
Music can also play a major role when it comes to brain development. For instance, training yourself to play a musical instrument can boost the volume of grey matter in some areas of your brain. It seems not so different from the way exercising can enlarge and tone the muscles.
Music lovers and musicians usually experience enhancement in different brain functions, such as:
- Learning
- Auditory processing
- Memory
If you want to learn to play a musical instrument in the comfort of your home, then you should begin with a used or new instrument that you want to try. Check websites like Craigslist. You can also move to the nearest thrift store or an instrument shop that offers several options like flutes, pianos, banjos, guitars, etc.
Don’t forget to watch the free tutorials on the web. These short video clips will show you the proper handling of a musical instrument you want to play.
Why Do Musicians Have Healthier and Smarter Brains?
If you want to know better how music can affect the human brain, have a look at the musicians. They benefit more in music compared to people who seldom pay attention to music. The human brain scans reveal that musicians have smarter and healthier brands compared to non-musicians.
The brains of musicians are quite bigger, connect better, and tend to be more sensitive. The musicians have an excellent working memory, cognitive flexibility, and auditory skills. Moreover, the brains of these people are more symmetrical.
They tend to react more symmetrically once they listen to music. The parts of their brain liable for auditory processing, spatial coordination, and motor control are bigger.
The corpus callosum of these people is also larger. It is the group of nerve fibers responsible for transferring information amid the 2 hemispheres of their brains. It grows bigger, indicating that the 2 sides of their brains communicate better with one another.
While many people are not professional musicians, the majority listen to more songs. On average, non-musicians spend at least 32 hours each week listening to music. This will be enough time for the non-musicians to enjoy the benefits of listening to music, too.
How Does Music Help Improve One’s Mood and Reduce Stress?
Science proved what music lovers know. The scientists discovered that listening to positive and upbeat songs can enhance one’s mood. Listening to & playing music decreases chronic stress by reducing the stress hormone known as cortisol.
Music makes you feel more powerful, hopeful, and in total control of your entire life. Listening to melancholic, heart-breaking music comes with its own set of benefits as well. If you’re experiencing a difficult situation, listening to this type of music could be cleansing. It can even help you in connecting to the feelings that will help yourself heal and overcome.
Music can Boost Brain Chemicals
One of the best ways that music can affect your mood is by stimulating the formation of some brain chemicals. Listening to songs boosts the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter.
Dopamine work as the “motivation molecule” of your brain. It is the integral portion of the “pleasure & reward” system. It’s also the chemical of the human brain accountable for the positive state experienced from orgasm, eating chocolate, & runner’s high.
When listening to music, you can increase dopamine production by selecting the shuffle mode. Hearing your favorite song unexpectedly triggers further production of dopamine. Playing songs with your buddies and enjoying the live music stimulates the brain to produce a hormone called oxytocin.
Oxytocin is the trust molecule or moral molecule as it assists a person to bond with or rely on someone. Music lovers experience the so-called oxytocin bump that makes them more reliable and generous.
How Does Music Make a Person More Creative and Productive?
Several studies gave proof that listening to songs at work makes a person happier, positive, and more productive. It is true, especially if you can listen to your preferred music and genre.
The office workers with the freedom to play and listen to their favorite songs tend to be more energetic. With that, they can finish their tasks faster. They can also give better ideas compared to employees who cannot play or listen to their favorite songs at work.
Background music is good as it improves one’s performance on cognitive tasks, enhances accuracy, and enables the accomplishment of repetitive jobs more effectively. The scientists saw the impact of music on the productiveness of a person in certain specific occupations.
Software developers are happier, more positive, and more productive when allowed to play and listen to their favorite music. When the doctors listened to songs while doing their job, they feel less stressed.
Also, the experience allowed them to finish the operation more accurately and faster than usual. The results are better when the researchers let them choose their favorite music.
Music can also help people do better under high-pressure conditions. Listening to positive and happy music before the game will also help the athletes stay relax and play better.
Is the Genre Important?
The majority of the music benefits and effects on the human brain go further than the single genre. Whether you listen to smooth jazz, country songs, or rock hits, different genres can cause similar results. Yes, you will gain the same benefits provided they match your taste in music. This way, it is the relationship of your brain with your favorite music is the key.
In some cases, the music style plays a big part. In terms of the best songs to hear while learning, for instance, experts suggest various genres for various purposes. Upbeat music like songs that have upbeat lyrics can give an extra energy boost to get your mind ready for learning.
Whenever you need to sit down and concentrate as you have to write, read, or study the course materials, soothing genres and instrumental music will help you to stay relaxed and focused. Nonetheless, every human may develop a specific approach to listening to music while study.
Enjoying New Music
There are many other ways to learn regarding new music. You don’t need to plug in your earphones or headphones to enjoy new music. All you have to do is to participate in these activities wherein you can explore various kinds and genres of music:
- Visit the open microphone nights happening in your locality.
- Join the local concerts held in your location.
- Ask your loved ones and buddies for music suggestions on your Facebook or YouTube and let them share their choices of songs, genres, and playlists with you.
- Use various tools, such as Spotify, Pandora, or MoodFuse in searching for the latest hits from your favorite artists or new popular musicians.
- Use some applications that can help you recall the songs you hear while walking down the street or shopping for essentials at a convenience store. Download those songs and add them to your playlist.
As you can see, there are many ways to enjoy music, especially the songs that are new to your ears. These tricks will surely make you more excited.
Conclusion
Listening to music does not have to be boring. It’s just a matter of choosing those songs that perfectly fit your taste and mood. It does not matter whether you play funky or sad songs for as long as they fit the situation. Whatever kind of song you’re listening to, rest assured you will gain some benefits that only music can offer. Whoever you are – young or old, a man or woman, you will benefit from listening to music. There’s no other way to feel its magic but to play the disk or plug in your headphones to your phone.
