The health benefits of music. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
| Music isn't just pleasurable. It's also good for you. |
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| I’d venture to say that most, if not all, of us have experienced music’s emotional impact. Music has the power to turn a bad mood around, help us unwind from stress, and resurface happy memories. After a long day, a good playlist can make commute traffic a little more bearable. Sitting through a long dentist appointment isn’t quite so anxiety-provoking with your favorite tunes playing through headphones. So it may feel a bit unnecessary to ask why music is important. Is it not self-evident? Music appears to strike some deeply embedded Primal chord. Archeological evidence shows that our ancient ancestors enjoyed music and made instruments in their free time. The oldest instrument ever recovered dates back approximately 60,000 years, but humans likely sang and used unmodified natural objects to make music long before then. It’s little surprise that music can touch us on such an elemental level. Still, I’m always interested to see how modern research unpacks and explains these intuitively human experiences. Today, let’s explore some of the science-backed health benefits of music. The Benefits of Music On a broad level, people enjoy music for a variety of reasons. There’s the emotional impact I already mentioned. There’s also the social aspect. Listening to music alone in your car is one thing, but I can’t think of anything that bonds strangers together more quickly than a shared musical experience. Then there’s the physical and mental health benefits of playing and listening to music. Music seems to exert positive effects on many of the foundational elements of health. For example, research shows that it: Reduces stress, both subjective assessments (how people say they feel) and physiological markers such as cortisol and heart rate. Improves sleep in both adults and children. Helps alleviate pain of both the acute variety, such as that experienced by burn patients or during childbirth, and the chronic variety, as in fibromyalgia. Enhances immune system function. Given these wide-ranging actions, it's easy to see how music might be useful as an adjunct treatment for all manner of ailments. I’m not saying it’s going to replace chemotherapy for cancer or anything, but what condition wouldn't benefit from better sleep or less stress? It’s the very definition of “can’t hurt, might help.” Based on the research I’ve looked at, I’d even say “can’t hurt, likely to help.” How to Harness the Power of Music in Your Life This one’s easy: Surround yourself with music. Make it more immersive by singing along or dancing. Play an instrument. Better yet, learn an instrument. It’s one of the best things you can do for healthy brain aging according to experts, and the best way I’ve found to achieve flow. Listen to music from different points in your life. Also listen to new stuff. Use it as a way to connect with your kids and grandkids. Attend live music events. There’s nothing quite like being moved by music while surrounded by a group of people being similarly affected. Try music therapy. If engaging with music on your own isn’t enough, a music therapist can administer a dose of “music medicine.” (Just like with other therapy modalities, there are many ways to practice and receive music therapy. Find a practitioner who specializes in the issues for which you seek help.) Thanks for reading today! |
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