What music does to our brain

Music can have a powerful impact on us. It can affect our brain and soul in ways we sometimes can’t explain. Some of us might find ourselves tearing up to a particular song that might remind us of something or someone or bring a smile to our face with the particular feeling that summer brings, a night out, or recollections of that amazing concert. Music brings back memories. But music can also have significant cognitive effects on us.

We hear music everywhere, all the time. On television we hear it in advertisements with those, at most times annoying, catchy jingles like Cadbury’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, or Cancer Council Victoria’s “Slip, Slop, Slap” (which has been around since the 80s), or the one we all love and adore, for the Reading and Writing Helpline, the jingle being the phone number to call, “1300 655 506, it can change your life!” (which I didn’t even need to look up), and many more unforgettable songs that we most often than not, did not want to get stuck in our heads. We hear it in our favourite TV shows and movies whether it’s a theme song, a great soundtrack with various artists, or the original musical scores. Then when we look for music, we can find it on YouTube, Spotify or iTunes or live concerts, and maybe it wakes us up in the morning, motivates our workouts, or accompanies us throughout the day. But it doesn’t matter what kind of music it is or where it comes from, because music has the ability to affect our moods and our body in many ways. We sing along, nod our heads or sway or dance, it gives us chills or even make us cry. Not only can music be listened to for enjoyment or get you through the tough times, but it is also used to learn and practice, as well as for therapy and even help those with speech difficulties.

Believe it or not, music activates every single area of the brain that scientists have mapped out so far, but what exactly does it do to us? Let’s get science-y, with author of “This Is Your Brain on Music” (2006) Daniel J. Levitin who explains how different regions of our brains process music, of which I would do my best to simplify like a “For Dummies” book. Firstly, music enters the brain and then gets scattered around to the individual areas, halting at significant processing units in the “auditory cortex”, a part of the temporal lobe and the auditory system that can detect loudness, pitch and rhythm. Then, the “visual cortex”, which comes easy for musicians when reading music or watching music. Next is the “motor cortex”, when you find yourself tapping your feet, clicking your fingers or clapping your hands along with the rhythm, as well as the cerebellum, that mediates your emotional response to the sound. Lastly, the memory system situated in the hippocampus stores what you already know in your memory bank. Therefore, music spreads out between both halves of the brain.

However, the powerful effects music can have on us can also depend on one’s personality. People with one out of the five personality dimensions, categorised as ‘openness to experience’, are more than likely for music to have a high effect on them and will feel more chills while listening to their favourite music (Nusbaum and Silvia, "Shivers and Timbres Personality and the Experience of Chills From Music," Social Psychology & Personality Science, 2010). Musicians are found to have superior working memory compared to non-musicians and have strengthened many of the same aspects of brain function that are impaired in individuals with language and learning difficulties, like neutral timing precision which allows differentiation between speech syllables. 

In addition to these cognitive effects, there are also health, social, and emotional benefits, it is known that music education can prepare people to work better in teams in their workplace and has contributed to their level of personal fulfillment. A review of 23 studies covering almost 1,500 patients found that listening to music reduced heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety in heart disease patients (Bradt & Dielo, “Music for stress and anxiety reduction in coronary heart disease patients,” PubMed. Gov, 2009). According to research by Ferguson and Sheldon (2013), “Trying to be happier really can work: Two experimental studies,” they found that participants who listened to upbeat classical songs by a particular artist while actively trying to be a happier person, felt that their moods improve more than those who listened to music passively, just letting it wash over them rather than properly engaging themselves in the music can supply people with an experience of extra emotional power.

In short, music is definitely one of the most powerful things that can benefit our emotional and physical beings. It can affect our moods, spirit, enhance skills and physical performance, as well as help people in therapy, those with speech difficulties and those suffering from particular disorders.

Some additional factors about what music can do:

1. Change your ability to perceive time
2. Tap into primal fear
3. Reduce seizures
4. Enhance your communication skills
5. Enhances physical performance.
6. Make you stronger
7. Boost your immune system
8. Assist in repairing brain damage
9. Make you smarter
10. Evoke memories
11. Help Parkinson’s patient
12. Taps into the memories of dementia and Alzheimer’s patients (music they grew up with).

Did you know:

1. That in 2016, Mozart sold more CD’s than Beyonce, Adele and Drake. This was due to the Universal Music Group releasing a box set to commemorate the 225^th anniversary of Mozart’s death, and each disc in the set was counted as one CD sold. Some people must really still love Mozart.
2. Singing in a group can boost your mood! Providing many physical and emotional benefits, whether in a choir, a band or just for fun. According to researchers, singing can sooth and raise spirits, releasing positive hormones including oxytocin, and cortisol which reduces stress.
3. Despite all this information and research on how music makes people feel, some people can have no response to music whatsoever. The University of Barcelona recently conducted a study with results of 5 percent of the participants saying that they did not have any physical or emotional reaction when listening to music. No tapping of feet or chills running up the spine. While most of us would think, “what kind of human being is that?” these people are completely normal, they simply just have a higher emotional response to other things in life like food.