We all know that listening to music is a positive thing; whether we’re dancing, singing, exercising or relaxing, music can have a real effect on our mood. It affects everyone differently, but we all have certain music that cheers us up, motivates us, or even makes us feel sad; you might meditate to calming classical music but then clean the house to some 90s hip hop.
So, can music actually be good for you? Can it have both physical and psychological benefits? Here at The Insurance Emporium, we love all things music, so we’ve pressed pause on our kitchen DJ-ing, and done some research into just what’s going on in our brains when we’re singing along to our favourite tracks in the car.
THE HISTORY PART
Music has been part of human culture for a very long time; from when prehistoric people used their voices to imitate the sounds of nature, to the AI-generated music of today, music helps people express themselves and connect with each other; it’s entertaining yet it also serves a religious/spiritual purpose. It cuts across class, education, gender and age and has been described as being as important to humans as language; there are even studies that suggest singing can help improve a stammer.
We use it to express emotions such as love and happiness and fear and anger, and very basic musical instruments have been found that date back more than 35,000 years to our Neanderthal ancestors.
THE SCIENCE PART
How much do we really understand about what happens to our brains when we hear music? When we listen to music it activates the parts of the brain that are linked to thinking, sensation, emotion and movement (which maybe explains why we feel the need to move or tap our feet when we hear music we like). Scientists are still trying to work out how our brains make sense of music, but studies using MRI suggest that different parts of the brain process different parts of music, and certain music can stimulate the brain’s ‘reward centre’ in a similar way to when we eat something we like, such as chocolate. There’s even evidence that music can affect the brain’s structure – certain parts of the brain are larger in musicians than in non-musicians.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY
Improved Mood – Scientists have found that listening to music we like releases dopamine – the ‘feel good’ chemicals – and increased dopamine can help relieve the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The part of the brain that processes mood and emotions – the amygdala – is also the part of the brain that processes music, which may explain why certain music just makes us feel good, whether it’s the beat, the lyrics or the melodies.
UNDER PRESSURE
Less Stress – We all have certain music that helps us unwind or makes us feel more positive, but studies show that listening to music triggers biochemical stress reducers, reduces cortisol and increases oxytocin, with evidence showing that people who listen to music recover more quickly after a stressful event, particularly if they listen to high-frequency music.
THE WAY WE WERE
Improved Memory – Music has been proven to relieve some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and music therapy can relax an agitated patient, enhance their mood and encourage communication.
LET’S GET PHYSICAL
Improved Workouts – Many of us listen to music while doing exercise; whether it’s something chilled while doing yoga or something fast and upbeat while running but studies show that listening to music can increase endurance. It not only improves our performance, but it reduces your perception of how tired you are; it distracts you from how sweaty/out of breath you are.
LISTEN TO YOUR HEART
Heart Health – Listening to music can reduce your heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels, and studies show that blood flows more efficiently when you listen to music.
EVERYBODY HURTS
Pain Relief – Music has been shown to lessen perceived pain, particularly in the elderly, or intensive care patients; in a study on the effects of music on pain management, ‘patients who listened to music before, during, or even after surgery experienced less pain and anxiety than those who did not listen to music’.
EAT IT
Possible Weight Loss – Playing soft music during a meal can reduce the amount you eat as it makes you eat slower; the faster the tempo, the more food you eat! Of course, there are other factors in place too, such as how many other people are present and the time of day.
BRAIN REACTION
Improved Cognitive Health – Studies have shown that background music can increase the speed in which the brain processes information and upbeat music in particular can improve performance on cognitive tests. Instrumental tracks, without lyrics that could be distracting, are ideal.
INSOMNIA
Improved Sleep – Sleep is important for both our physical and mental health, and for our general wellbeing and some research shows that people who listen to relaxing music before they go to sleep not only go to sleep more easily, they have better quality sleep and sleep for longer too and in an online survey of the general population 62% of people say they use music to help them sleep.
We’re living at a time when music is so much more accessible, we can listen to any music we want to just by switching our phones on; you only have to look at all the people walking down the street, or in the gym, wearing headphones/earbuds to see that it’s everywhere.
It’s the soundtrack to our lives, as well as to our favourite films and our major life events, just think how important choosing the right first dance is for your wedding? There are even plans to preserve music as an important artefact in a Global Music Vault in the event of a major disaster.
If you like creating your own music, (remember, there are also studies that show that musicians have a higher IQ then non-musicians…) then you might want to think about insuring your musical instruments and equipment. You can tweak your policy with optional benefits and compose the right kind of protection for you. Take a look at our website today and get a free, no-strings quote that sounds just right.
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