What do we do when we are happy?
Dance to the tunes of music…
What do we do when we are sad?
Listen to music to divert our mind…
What do we do to keep ourselves motivated and energized?
Listen to happy numbers.
Music has a great impact on human beings. exerts a powerful influence.
We can find music almost in all cultures, basically from the most primitive to the most advanced human species.
It’s been prevailing from ancient times till the modern era.
Every individual spends his maximum lifespan dancing to the tune of music.
Music has healing properties. It can create magic and make wonders.
Sound healing therapy uses aspects of music to improve physical and emotional health. It can boost memory, lighten the mood, reduce anxiety and depression, improve your response to pain and help to work out more effectively.
It is also used to treat symptoms of a number of conditions, including anxiety disorders, depression, stress, autism spectrum disorder, learning difficulties and behavioural / psychiatric disorders.
There Are Many Benefits Of Music Like –
- It helps in boosting immunity.
- It helps in maintaining mood swings.
- Helps in getting motivated during workouts.
- Helps in brain development and improves concentration.
- It helps in lowering blood pressure.
- Most of the time it helps in pain management.
- The intensity of the stress level is managed with the help of music.
- Helps in getting better sleep.
- Helps in lowering the risk for coronary artery disease and stroke.
- Music helps in getting connected socially and emotionally.
- Important role in the development of children
During stressful conditions, a hormone named cortisol is released. It is a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands which help our body in dealing with stressful situations as a response to different kinds of stress.
When cortisol levels are high for a longer period, they can cause problems like weight gain, high blood pressure, disrupted sleep, increasing negativity thereby reducing energy levels and even contributing to diabetes. It can even hamper the immune system making us more prone to infections.
Music helps in soothing the situation and thereby decreasing the cortisol levels. This helps in releasing dopamine levels. Dopamine is the “feel good” neurotransmitter. Usually it is associated with pleasure and reward. It helps in making us feel satisfied and relaxed.
Music helps in pain management. When the body encounters something painful, electrochemical signals are sent from the site of the injury to the brain. Listening to music increases activity in the brain’s reward centre.
As the same pathway is used by music sensation signals, there is competition between the signals to send the message to the brain. It is found in a survey conducted, that there is a reduction in the pain levels by 17%, especially in patients suffering from anxiety.
Scientists believe that music’s ability to make feel good is one of the way as it helps to alleviate pain.
Researchers at Queen’s University have published the findings from their Music in Mind study, showing that music therapy reduces depression in children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems. It was found that the youngsters receiving music therapy for their problems showed considerable improvement in their behaviour. Their symptoms of depression significantly decreased thus helping them to gain their confidence level.
Music improves in getting better sleep by calming parts of the autonomic nervous system, leading to slower breathing, lower heart rate, and reduced blood pressure. Listening to soothing, relaxing music while going to bed helps in undisturbed sound sleep and makes us feel fresh.
The Role In Music Therapy In Patients Suffering From Stroke And Paralysis
Music therapy helps in the recovery part of patients suffering from stroke or paralytic attacks.
It is seen that rhythmical music helps in increasing the patient’s movement and improving muscular control. Playing any musical instrument or walking to the beats of music helps in muscle movement. Their verbal memory, focus and concentration increase and help in brain repair mechanism.
Encouraging patients to respond to music by singing, with movements or actions helps in speedy recovery of speech and communication.
Music Helps In Brain Development In Children
Music learning helps in accelerating brain development in young children, particularly in language development, speech perception and reading skills. Playing any instrument refines motor skills in kids and increases vocabulary. It helps in concentration and to remain focused.
Music’s Impact On Social And Emotional Development
Listening to music on all occasions, be it a happy moment or sad time, music helps in connecting emotionally.
It elevates the mood, helps in overcoming frustration, fear and builds confidence to face difficult situations of life.
Music During Physical Workout
Listening to workout tracks boosts physical performance and increases endurance during the tough exercise sessions.
Music synchronized with physical exercise motivates the person and makes him more energetic.
Increase Immunity
Researchers found that listening to and playing music boosts the immune system and increases the body’s production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells. These antibodies help in fighting the disease causing bacteria and thus makes our body healthy.
Music is the true breath of life. It has a powerful effect on a person’s mind and life.
It lightens the mood, reduces depression and anxiety, takes care of people of all ages in healing and creating wonders.
Music has healing properties and can be used to treat many health problems. Listen to music, stay calm and motivated.
“Music expresses feelings and thoughts, without language; it was below and before speech, it is above and beyond all words.” – Robert G. Ingersoll
How It Works
Music therapy uses different aspects of sound to improve your emotional and physical well-being. How it works depends on the method being used. Most music therapy sessions are experienced one-on-one with a specially trained practitioner.
A session may involve sitting or lying down while listening to music or sounds from a speaker or instruments, or having vibrations applied using a special tool, such as a tuning fork. Depending on the method, you may be encouraged to participate by singing, moving, or even using a musical instrument, or you may need to remain still and quiet to let the sounds take effect.
Listening to music can be entertaining, and some research suggests that it might even make you healthier. Music can be a source of pleasure and contentment, but there are many other psychological benefits as well. Music can relax the mind, energize the body, and even help people better manage pain.
The notion that music can influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors probably does not come as much of a surprise. If you’ve ever felt pumped up while listening to your favorite fast-paced rock anthem or been moved to tears by a tender live performance, then you easily understand the power of music to impact moods and even inspire action.
The psychological effects of music can be powerful and wide-ranging. Music therapy is an intervention sometimes used to promote emotional health, help patients cope with stress, and boost psychological well-being. Some research even suggests that your taste in music can provide insight into different aspects of your personality.
1. Music Makes You Happier
“I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing.” – William James Research proves that when you listen to music you like, your brain releases dopamine, a “feel-good” neurotransmitter. Valorie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist at McGill University, injected eight music-lovers with a radioactive substance that binds to dopamine receptors after they listened to their favorite music. A PET scan showed that large amounts of dopamine were released, which biologically caused the participants to feel emotions like happiness, excitement, and joy. So the next time you need an emotional boost, listen to your favorite tunes for 15 minutes. That’s all it takes to get a natural high!
2. Music Enhances Running Performance
“If people take anything from my music, it should be motivation to know that anything is possible as long as you keep working at it and don’t back down.” – Eminem Marcelo Bigliassi and his colleagues found that runners who listened to fast or slow motivational music completed the first 800 meters of their run faster than runners who listened to calm music or ran without music. If you want to take your running up a notch, listen to songs that inspire you.
3. Music Lowers Stress and Improves Health
“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from.” – Billy Joel Listening to music you enjoy decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, which counteracts the effects of chronic stress. This is an important finding since stress causes 60% of all our illnesses and disease. One study showed that if people actively participated in making music by playing various percussion instruments and singing, their immune system was boosted even more than if they passively listened. To stay calm and healthy during a stressful day, turn on the radio. Be sure to sing along and tap your feet to the beat to get the maximum healing benefit.
4. Music Helps You Sleep Better
“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Berthold Auerbach Over 30% of Americans suffer from insomnia. A study showed that students who listened to relaxing classical music for 45 minutes before turning in slept significantly better than students who listened to an audiobook or did nothing different from their normal routine. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try listening to a little Bach or Mozart before bedtime to catch some Zs.
5. Music Reduces Depression
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” – Maya Angelou More than 350 million people suffer from depression around the world. A whopping 90% of them also experience insomnia. The sleep research above found that symptoms of depression decreased significantly in the group that listened to classical music before bedtime, but not in the other two groups. Another study by Hans Joachim Trappe in Germany also demonstrated that music can benefit patients with depressive symptoms, depending on the type of music. Meditative sounds and classical music lifted people up, but techno and heavy metal brought people down even more. The next time you feel low, put on some classical or meditative music to lift your spirits.
6. Music Helps You Eat Less
“There’s a friendly tie of some sort between music and eating.” – Thomas Hardy Research at Georgia Tech University showed that softening the lighting and music while people ate led them to consume fewer calories and enjoy their meals more. If you’re looking for ways to curb your appetite, try dimming the lights and listening to soft music the next time you sit down for a meal.
7. Music Elevates Your Mood While Driving
“That’s what I love. Not being interrupted, sitting in the car by myself listening to music in the rain. There are so many great songs yet to sing.” – Alison Kraus A study in the Netherlands found that listening to music can positively impact your mood while driving, which can lead to safer behavior than not listening to music. The next time you feel frustrated in traffic, turn up the tunes to improve your state of mind. It won’t hurt your driving performance – it may even help you drive more safely.
8. Music Strengthens Learning and Memory
“Music is the language of memory.” – Jodi Picoult Researchers discovered that music can help you learn and recall information better, but it depends on how much you like the music and whether or not you’re a musician. Subjects memorized Japanese characters while listening to music that either seemed positive or neutral to them. The results showed that participants who were musicians learned better with neutral music but tested better when pleasurable music was playing. Non-musicians, on the other hand, learned better with positive music but tested better with neutral music. Memorize these results. You now have a strategy to study more effectively for your next test.
9. Music Relaxes Patients Before/After Surgery
“He who sings scares away his woes.” – Miguel de Cervantes Researchers found that listening to relaxing music before surgery decreases anxiety. In fact it’s even more effective than being orally administered Midazolam, a medication often used to help pre-op patients feel sleepy that also has gnarly side effects such as coughing and vomiting. Other studies showed that listening to soothing music while resting in bed after open heart surgery increases relaxation. Globally, 234 million major surgeries are performed each year. If you or someone you know is going into surgery, be sure to bring some soothing tunes to ease anxiety. It may work better, and will certainly have fewer adverse side effects, than the meds they dispense.
10. Music Reduces Pain
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marely Research at Drexel University in Philadelphia found that music therapy and pre-recorded music reduced pain more than standard treatments in cancer patients. Other research showed that music can decrease pain in intensive care patients and geriatric care patients, but the selection needed to be either classical pieces, meditative music, or songs of the patient’s choosing. Bob Marely was right about this one – listen to music you love to take your pain away.
11. Music Helps Alzheimer’s Patients Remember
“The past, which is not recoverable in any other way, is embedded, as if in amber, in the music, and people can regain a sense of identity.” – Oliver Sacks, M.D. A non-profit organization called Music & Memory helps people with Alzheimer’s Disease and other age-related dementias remember who they are by having them listen to their dearest songs. The awakening is often dramatic. For example, after Henry listens to music from his era, this wheelchair-bound dementia sufferer who can barely speak sings Cab Calloway songs and happily reminisces about his life . Dr. Laura Mosqueda, Director of Geriatrics at the University of California at the Irvine School of Medicine, explains that because music affects so many areas of the brain, it stimulates pathways that may still be healthy. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s Disease or another dementia, so odds are you know someone who has it. To connect with loved ones who suffer from age-related dementia, try playing some of their best-loved music.
12. Music Improves Recovery in Stroke Patients
“I know why the caged bird sings.” – Maya Angelou Research at the University of Helsinki showed that stroke patients who listened to music they chose themselves for two hours a day had significantly improved recovery of cognitive function compared to those who listened to audio books or were given no listening material. Most of the music contained lyrics, which suggests that it’s the combination of music and voice that bolstered the patients’ auditory and verbal memory. Stroke is the number 5 cause of death in the United States. If you know someone who has suffered a stroke, bring their favorite songs as soon as you can. Listening to them can significantly ramp up their recuperation.
13. Music Increases Verbal Intelligence
“Music is to the soul what words are to the mind.” – Modest Mouse After only one month of music lessons (in rhythm, pitch, melody and voice), a study at York University showed that 90% of children between the ages of 4 and 6 had a significant increase in verbal intelligence. Researcher Sylvain Moreno suggests that the music training had a “transfer effect” which enhanced the children’s ability to understand words and explain their meaning. Other research found that musically trained adult women and musically trained children outperformed those without music training on verbal memory tests. No matter whether you’re an adult or a child, if you want to boost your verbal skills, try taking music lessons!
14. Music Raises IQ and Academic Performance
“Music can change the world because it can change people.” – Bono Research shows that taking music lessons predicts higher academic performance and IQ in young children. In one study, 6-year-olds who took keyboard or singing lessons in small groups for 36 weeks had significantly larger increases in IQ and standardized educational test results than children who took either drama lessons or no lessons. The singing group did the best. To help your children achieve academic excellence, encourage them to sing or learn to play an instrument.
15. Music Keeps Your Brain Healthy in Old Age
“Music is the true breath of life. We eat so we won’t starve to death. We sing so we can hear ourselves live.” – Yasmina Khadra A study with healthy older adults found that those with ten or more years of musical experience scored higher on cognitive tests than musicians with one to nine years of musical study. The non-musicians scored the lowest. “Since studying an instrument requires years of practice and learning, it may create alternate connections in the brain that could compensate for cognitive declines as we get older,” says lead researcher Brenda Hanna-Pladdy. Business magnate Warren Buffet stays sharp at age 84 by playing ukulele. It’s never too late to play an instrument to keep you on top of your game. Plato had it right when he said, “Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.” No matter whether you’re young or old, healthy or sick, happy or sad, music can improve the quality of your life in numerous ways. It reduces stress and anxiety, lifts your mood, boosts your health, helps you sleep better, takes away your pain, and even makes you smarter.
