6 scientific evidences that music is good for your health

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Music is an amazing art form. No other way of transmitting information could overcome all possible barriers: language, age, national … But do we know everything about it?

Modern scientists believe that music is not just an art, because it affects not only our consciousness, but also our body. Neuroscientist, musician and writer Daniel Levitin explained in his book why it is important to study and understand music:

The better we understand this art form, the better we understand ourselves: our own motives, fears, desires, memories and even behavior.

Music makes a person smarter

Music activates various parts of the brain, we memorize texts and motives. It is well known that different melodies and rhythms evoke different emotions. Moreover, music allows you to restore brain function in traumatic brain injuries.

Musicians, especially those who started playing in childhood, are even more influenced by music. So, one of the studies on this topic showed that the study of music contributes to the sustainable development of non-verbal thinking. In an interview with News in Health, Harvard Medical School neuropathologist Gottfried Schlaug argues that the nervous system of musicians is different from that of non-musicians. The musician's brain has a large number of connections between the hemispheres.

When composing music, various parts of the brain are activated, including the visual, auditory and motor. Therefore, writing melodies can be one of the ways to treat nervous disorders.

Gottfried Schlaug

Note: I have no doubt that listening to math metal music while preparing for advanced math exams is beneficial. Someone in these cases is helped by avant-garde or atmospheric black metal.

Sad music cheers up

But a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology showed that sad music does not affect a person in the way it was supposed to. Scientists have found that such tracks evoke two types of emotions: recognizable and experienced. Although the music was perceived by the subjects as tragic, when listening to it, they did not fall into depression. In fact, people experienced a wide range of emotions, there was even a place for romantic and rather joyful feelings.

Music heals

In "" (The Effect of Music on the Human Body and Mind), Don Kent (Dawn Kent) gives interesting facts about the effect of music on the physical condition of a person. So, Plato proposed using music to treat anxiety, and Aristotle considered this art form a tool for getting rid of an unstable emotional background.

Music has a marked physiological effect on many biological processes. It reduces the effects of fatigue, changes the pulse, evens breathing, stabilizes blood pressure, plus has a psychogalvanic effect.

Don kent

Of interest is Michelle Lefevre's Playing With Sound: The Therapeutic Use of Music in Direct Work With Children, published in 2004. According to Lefebvre's research, high-frequency sounds can trigger panic and increase anxiety.

There is even the so-called Mozart effect: listening to the Sonata for two pianos in D major (K. 448) causes symptoms of epileptic seizures in some patients. And even those who are in a coma.

Music can regulate gender relations

But according to the observations of clinical psychologist and family counselor Curtis Levang (Curtis Levang), music can increase libido. Urologist Y. Mark Hong, for example, believes that music and sex are similar: both elicit strong emotional responses. With the help of music, you can raise the level of serotonin in the blood and improve health for certain types of diseases.

Music will also help on dates: according to a French study, single women who listened to romantic songs were much more willing to give their phone number, as opposed to those who listened to something neutral.

Music helps with physical activity

Music increases endurance and helps you spend resources more efficiently during physical activity. For example, the study Let’s Get Physical: The Psychology of Effective Workout Music shows that cycling with music allows you to spend 7% less oxygen than without it.

The beats per minute (BPM) of a song has a motivational effect, albeit up to a certain limit. The ceiling is 145 beats per minute, faster melodies are no longer able to motivate. In some cases, the speed of the words of the song begins to displace the melody: that is why many people prefer to work with musical accompaniment with rhythmic texts, for example, hip-hop.

All in all, it's no surprise that Spotify launched the Spotify Running service, which allows you to track a runner's pace and play songs in a playlist at the appropriate BPM.

Singing in the shower is good

This is confirmed by Dr. Jerry Saliman. According to him, singing out loud is good for health, especially for the older generation. Singing can improve the brain function of older people with aphasia (complete or partial loss of speech) or Parkinson's disease. In addition, many old people live alone and, due to chronic ailments, such as arthritis, lead a sedentary lifestyle. Simple and affordable entertainment will have a positive effect on their well-being. In addition, singing improves the functioning of the respiratory system and can reduce shortness of breath.