You are stuck in traffic; horns blaring, people shouting – you have had a long day at work. Your playlist is on shuffle and suddenly in the midst of
this chaotic thursday night traffic, a song comes on that instantly transports you to your carefree childhood days. The stagnant cars, the pesky kaali peeli to your right , and the cruel red light which has been unchanging for what seems like forever ceases to bother you.
Such is the beauty of music.
An amalgamation of sounds, rhythms, and words, music has the power to uplift or dampen our mood, transport us back to our childhood, or take us to a place we have never been before. It can evoke strong emotional responses in us that can motivate and inspire us.
It is also not without reason that we listen to music to get us motivated to exercise. Recent studies have labeled music as an ergogenic aid, an aid that enhances performance during physical exercise.
Research has shown that listening to music activates the pleasure centres of the brain, resulting in the release of dopamine. Dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter, is important for arousal, movement, motivation, and mood. It makes us feel happy, and we tend to be more motivated when dopamine is released in the brain. The rhythmic and repetitive nature of music is also known to release endorphins, or the natural painkillers in the body, that instantly uplift our mood. It is also known to relax our muscles and release tension. Thus, even when we are not in the best of moods, and we listen to relatively sad music, we tend to become more relaxed and that itself makes us feel better.
Music has the ability to elicit both physiological and physical changes in our body. Other than the physical foot tapping, head nodding, and finger drumming, physiological changes such as increased heart rate, deeper breathing, greater release of dopamine, and a favourable change in blood pressure, take place in our body that make us feel energetic, happy, or calm. Of course, the genre, and the intent of listening to a particular song can elicit different emotional and physical responses, based on our mood and surroundings. However, music does tap into our emotions, through the associations we make with the lyrics, and through our own experiences; not unlike being taken back to our childhood while stuck in traffic.
The ability of music to elicit memories and tap into our feelings, is being used increasingly in therapy by psychologists to make us more in sync with our emotions. It is most commonly used to cater to psychological distresses such as depression, anxiety, and stress.
Listening to one song repeatedly is also known to be therapeutic, because our brain does appreciate predictability and structure after a busy and tiring day.
Music is also used for elderly patients with dementia, or Alzheimer’s. It is used as a tool to reminisce the days gone by.
Surgeons and other medical professionals also make use of music while operating, to induce calmness and harmony in their patients.
At the end of the day, we must realise that listening to music is an enjoyable experience, and that our day to day lives can be made more enhanced in our memory through music. Music is an inexpensive and widely accessible tool that can pump you up, or wind you down. There is a sea of options to choose from, and it is all out there, waiting to be heard.
Authorship: Shreya Agarwal, psychology student at Flame University, Pune.
References:
Ashford University. (2017, June 7). How Does Music Affect Your Brain? | Ashford University. Retrieved from https://www.ashford.edu/online-degrees/student-lifestyle/how-does-music-affect-your-brain
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Keep Your Brain Young with Music. Retrieved from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_mind/keep-your-brain-young-with-music
Landau, CNN, E. (2018, January 23). This is your brain on music. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/15/health/brain-music-research/index.html
Safranek, R. (2013, July 21). The Use of Music Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation. Retrieved from Research Gate website: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268041820_The_Use_of_Music_Therapy_in_Stroke_Rehabilitation