Numerous techniques exist for music to enhance brain function and wellness. How Music Affects the Brain, a Bebrainfit article, claims that music boosts cognition, happiness, and productivity at any age. Playing is preferable to listening.
Music elicits a common response from people all across the world. Researchers can now objectively assess the precise effects of music on the brain thanks to advancements in neuroscience.
The fascination with how music affects the brain has given rise to a brand-new field of study called neuromusicology, which investigates how the neurological system responds to music. Every known brain region is stimulated by music, which is confirmed by the research. You can become wiser, happier, healthier, and more productive at every stage of life by listening to and playing music.
The brains of professional musicians, who perform a lot of music, provide proof of how music influences the brain. According to brain scans, musicians’ brains vary from non-musicians. The brains of musicians are larger, more interconnected, and more sensitive. The working memory, auditory abilities, and cognitive flexibility of musicians are higher. They respond more symmetrically to music, and their brains are obviously more symmetrical. Larger brain regions are in charge of motor control, auditory processing, and spatial coordination. Additionally, musicians have a bigger corpus callosum. This group of nerve fibers is responsible for transferring data between the brain’s two hemispheres. This expansion suggests that the two halves of the musician’s brain are more adept at communicating with one another.
We still listen to a lot of music—on average 32 hours a week—despite the fact that the majority of us aren’t professional musicians. This much time has passed for music to affect non-musicians minds as well. Music enthusiasts already knew that listening to uplifting music might make you feel better, and science has now confirmed this. By reducing the stress hormone cortisol, music-making and listening relieve chronic stress. You might feel more confident, strong, and in charge of your life when you listen to music. Sad music might also be beneficial to listen to.
Sad music is therapeutic if you’re going through a difficult moment. In order to heal, it might assist you in connecting with your emotions. The synthesis of certain brain chemicals is one way that music might influence mood. Dopamine levels rise when people listen to music. The “motivation molecule” of the brain, dopamine is a crucial component of the pleasure-reward system. It is the same brain chemical that causes orgasm, the runner’s high, and the feel-good moods brought on by eating chocolate. Interestingly, listening to a piece of music that is being mixed will boost dopamine levels even more. Unexpectedly hearing one of your favorite songs causes a tiny dopamine surge.
The brain chemical oxytocin is triggered when people play music together or listen to live music. As it fosters our ability to connect with and trust others, oxytocin has been dubbed the “trust molecule” and the “moral molecule.” There is evidence that the oxytocin rush felt by music fans might increase their benevolence and dependability. There is a ton of proof that playing music while working may make you a happier, more effective worker. This is especially true if you have a music preference. Office workers who are given the freedom to listen to their favorite music do jobs more swiftly and generate better ideas than those who have no say in their musical preferences. Background music facilitates the completion of repeated activities, increases accuracy, and improves performance on cognitive tasks.