Music and the Mind
“Crank up the tunes and blast those beats, because the results are in — music is good for you.”
Vanessa van Edwards
There’s no denying that music has a strong impact – emotionally, physically, and beyond. Different types of music can significantly impact a person’s mood, helping us delve deeper into our consciousness to process a wide range of emotions. It’s not just because music evokes feelings; there’s research-backed science behind the effect music has on us.
Music serves many therapeutic purposes, however here are some of the most significant. Professor Suzanne Hanser of The Berklee College of Music explains that music helps us by:
“Shifting our attention from problems to solutions,
Offering a rhythmic structure for relaxation and breathing,
Helping create and visualize positive imagery that evokes pleasure and happiness,
Helping us achieve a deep state of relaxation, and
Changing mood.”
Want to give it a try? Here are some ideas:
Create
Compose a song, write some lyrics, or grab a friend and make up music together. Not only does it allow us to create art, it also helps with problem-solving and lessens feelings of isolation.
Sing
Whether you prefer singing in a choir or just in the shower, share your voice. In studies with adult choir singers, singing the same piece of music tended to synch up their breathing and heart rates, producing a group-wide calming effect.
Listen
Listening to music with a slow tempo and low pitch, without lyrics or loud instrumentation, can facilitate a calming effect, even during highly stressful or painful events.
Move
Music can affect our bodies by changing our heart rate and lowering blood pressure. If you feel inclined to dance, music can also help improve balance and strength for folks of all ages.
Play
Pick up that instrument that you have always been meaning to learn, or start with something simpler, like a ukelele or hand drum. Research shows this contributes to immune system health and can help stave off neurological disorders due to the unique neural connections it makes.
The next time you are creating a mindfulness moment or feel like cranking up the music at an impromptu dance party, the benefits abound. Music has been proven to help our bodies heal, improve memory, alleviate stress, and connect us with our communities. That sounds like music to our ears!
Elise Armstrong, LSW
