The health benefits of music
Have you ever felt better after listening to your favourite music? You probably don’t realise it, but music has a powerful effect on the human brain. Listening to music, singing, and playing instruments, have all been found to activate numerous areas of the brain. The idea that music has health properties dates way back in human history. Ansdell comments in Musical life stories: Narratives on health musicking:
“But of course this link between people, music, and health/wellbeing is hardly new. It is a perennial knowledge that has been understood and practised in very varied ways across history[…]”
The contemporary study of music and health is a broad field that encompasses everything from music therapy, to medicine, neurobiology, to everyday life self-care.
In recent years, there has been an increase in interest among researchers and in scientific studies into music, mainly in the field of neuroscience. A study published in 2008 concludes that music aids in neurogenesis, the repair and generation of nervous tissue. The article claims that it is very likely that listening to music effects steroid hormone cascades in the brain, leading to better cerebral plasticity. Music has been found to have an impact on intrinsic functional and structural brain networks in studies comparing music learners and non-music learners. “The level of motor and sensory processing that goes on in playing and responding to music, in addition to auditory processing, is extraordinary,” says Eckart Altenmüller, director of the Institute of Music Physiology and Musician’s Medicine in Hanover, Germany.
Another study published in 2014 found that listening to music regularly during the 6-month period following a stroke helped with structural reorganisation in the brain. Compared to patients who listened to audiobooks, or patients who did not have any additional listening material, those who listened daily to their favourite music showed a bigger increase in the volume of their gray matter.
Music not only boosts neurological well-being, but can also boost psychological well-being. Music has been found to reduce stress, improve mood, endurance, and boost motivation. A study from 2013 found that listening to music impacted the psychobiological stress system. Participants were divided into three groups and participated in a psychosocial stress test (one group listened to relaxing music, one listened to the sound of rippling water, and one didn’t listen to anything). The study found that those who listened to music had a faster recovery period from the stress. A Lancet article published in 2015 found that people who listened to music showed reduced postoperative pain, anxiety, analgesia use, and increased patient satisfaction. Prolonged feelings of stress can be detrimental for our overall health, so it’s important to take measures to reduce the effects of stress on our body and mind.
But does music actually help us feel happier? A 2-part study published in 2012 found that listening to upbeat music could positively influence the participant’s wellbeing. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in pleasure- is directly involved in the feelings of reward experienced when listening to music. A study published in 2019 manipulated participants’ production of dopamine by administering them either a dopamine precursor, a dopamine antagonist, or a placebo in three separate sessions. The dopamine precursor increased the hedonistic experience and motivational responses when listening to music, while the dopamine antagonist reduced both.
Music can also help boost our motivation. A study published in 2010 involving cycling found that participants worked harder when music with a faster beat was played faster, but also enjoyed it more. Additionally, music helps with endurance. A study from 2020 concludes that music improves performance in workouts and simultaneously reduces ratings of perceived exertion. Next time you workout, make a playlist with fast-paced songs so you can boost your motivation and enjoy the exercise to its full extent.
As research progresses, and we learn more, the involvement of musical activities enabling protection, repair and possibly regeneration of the brain has been suggested. Music is an amazing way to take care of your mind, and a fun one. At FitQuid we aim to motivate the community to live a happier, healthier life.
