Does this mean that we need music to live like air? Or do we overestimate its importance and would do quite well in a world devoid of ear-pleasing, familiar and positively evocative sounds? If we analyze several thousand years of human history, we will come to the conclusion that practically every civilization, regardless of its cultural sophistication, has used the benefits of music, both for purely entertainment purposes, and in religion, healing and ritual rites. For it turns out that music not only provides us with pleasant acoustic sensations and evokes emotional experiences, but also has a direct effect on the functioning of our body.
Calms the Breath and Heart
Music undoubtedly has an effect on the human circulatory and respiratory systems, as has been observed in numerous studies on the interplay between the type of sounds and specific bodily responses. When listening to cheerful and rhythmic music, a natural increase in heart rate was observed in the patients studied, while a decrease in heart rate and respiratory rate was observed during sad ones. Among heart patients at Massachusetts General Hospital, those who listened to Mozart’s piano sonatas for half an hour every day achieved much better heart function test results than patients who did not listen to music.
Stimulates and Improves Mood
By affecting the brain, music influences the production of neurotransmitters and the release of epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for our mood, activity, feelings of happiness and pleasure. Researchers even claim that there are special structures in the human brain responsible for receiving music and processing its stimuli into specific emotional responses – the brain centers of interest, emotion, reward and motivation are involved in this complex process. More interestingly, the main physiological sign of mood change under the influence of music is the activation of the autonomic nervous system, taking place through the rhythm of music and its tempo. This is what determines the level of arousal experienced.
To improve our mood, we don’t necessarily have to interact with lively, joyful and energetic music. Those who claim that “listening to sad pieces only makes your depression worse” are mistaken. For it turns out that such a relationship does not exist at all! Any music is capable of improving our mood, as long as we perceive it as beautiful, harmonious and soothing. And since people differ from each other, not only in terms of bodily conditions, but also in terms of musical tastes, we should never be surprised by what kind of music this or that person finds comfort in. Therefore, once and for all, let’s forget about good advice like: “How can you listen to that heavy metal? I would turn on some nice soul if I were you!”.
It Soothes Not Only Customs, But Also Physical Pain
It is used to say that patients suffering from chronic pain find solace and relief in listening to classical music, especially Bach and Mozart. Researchers at the University of Kentucky in Lenxington, led by music therapist Dr. Lori Gooding, decided to test this hypothesis. And indeed – it turned out that music had a salutary effect on patients before, during and after surgery, reducing their anxiety and tension, alleviating pain and discomfort during recovery, as well as shortening recovery time and reducing the need for painkillers and sedatives. According to American researchers, songs with a steady rhythm and a gentle melodic line are best suited for perioperative music therapy – they are the ones with which it is easiest to relax, reducing the level of pain experienced. Fans of heavy metal and techno lovers will probably worry that their favorite music handles the pain a little worse, and may even exacerbate it, as it causes the heart rate to accelerate and the heart to beat irregularly.
Helps Premature Babies and Strengthens the Immune System
Newborns who were born too early face a number of ailments that are dangerous to their fragile health. That’s why researchers at Beth Israel Medical Center decided to help a group of 250 premature babies by providing them – in addition to intensive postnatal care – with special music therapy that focused on sounds that were deceptively similar to those in the womb. The key to the individual choice of music was the frequency of a given baby’s heartbeat and the rhythm of its breathing. The results of the experiment surprised everyone! For it turned out that premature babies supported by music were much calmer, slept better and had much better cardiorespiratory parameters than babies without musical support.
In turn, specialists from the music institute at Michigan State University proved that daily contact of the human body with music increases the level of interleukin-1, responsible for the efficient functioning of our immune system.
If you are still wondering whether it is worth listening to music, we hereby dispel all doubts with firmness: it is a question of your life and health!