Music: how it affects our well-being

Psychologist Victoria Williamson, author of the musicpcychology.co.uk blog, has been exploring the world of music psychology for more than ten years and keeps track of all scientific work in this area. She shares her discoveries in the book “We are music. How music affects our brain, health and life in general” (Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2015). Here are some interesting and useful facts.

• Music for life

Relaxes and relieves pain

Music induces in us an autonomic nervous system relaxation response, which includes: a decrease in heart rate and respiration, blood pressure, muscle tension, and oxygen uptake. What does this lead to? Yes, to very beneficial results, and above all to the reduction of pain, anxiety and stress (Cochrane Review, 2006). In addition to the obvious benefit of such a reaction for any person experiencing anxiety and stress, this effect is of particular importance in working with patients with cardiovascular diseases (a decrease in heart rate reduces the risk of death), anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders. There are positive results in operative medicine as well: a Yale University study showed that during operations with spinal anesthesia, patients who could control their pain relief used up to 43 percent less when they listened to their favorite music (Anesthesia & Analgesia, 5, 2005).

• What does our favorite music say about us?

Supports immunity

Listening to your favorite music in the brain activates neurotransmitters (such as dopamine) that stimulate motivation and pleasure, due to deep connections between the limbic centers of emotion and higher prefrontal areas responsible for decision making and evaluation (Nature Neuroscience, 14, 2011). Recent research indicates that even brand new music can stimulate aspects of this reward system in the brain if it belongs to a style or genre that we already like (Science, 2013). The relaxation response, combined with the brain’s reward system, influences hormonal and immune responses. When listening to pleasant music, the body releases natural opiates, and there is often a marked reduction in the body’s levels of cortisol, a marker of the stress response. Even a single session of music therapy can increase saliva levels of measurable immunoglobulin A, a natural antibody in our immune system.

• The mysterious power of music

Improves hearing

More precisely, it helps to better distinguish speech — for example, in noisy conditions. And this is an essential skill in childhood, because children often have to parse and learn words in noisy environments, such as in a classroom or on a playground. Studies have shown that children aged 7-13 who were exposed to music had better hearing in noisy environments than their non-musician classmates with the same IQ and basic listening skills. Moreover, the more music lessons, the better the ability develops (Brain & Language, 123, 2012). This skill, which is also noticeable in adult musicians, becomes especially valuable in old age, when the ability to track and distinguish fast speech deteriorates. There is evidence that in older people (average age 65 years), who in childhood did not study music for very long (from four to 14 years), and then did not play for decades, the reactions of the nervous system to speech sounds were still faster, than people with little or no music experience (Journal of Neuroscience, 33, 2013).

• Stress management

Adds strength

In one experiment, before a 60m race, some volunteers listened to the theme song from the movie «Rocky» while others waited in silence for the start. Those who listened to the soundtrack ran the distance in a shorter time, and their physiological responses, including an increase in breathing rate and muscle tension, were as if they had received a stimulant beforehand. Music is good at blocking the signals of mental fatigue and physical exhaustion that the brain receives during exercise. It is believed that listening to complex songs greatly engages the limited capacity of our attention system and thereby reduces the number of messages of fatigue entering the brain or reduces their impact on our reactions (Journal of Sports Sciences, 24, 2006). As a result, we lose the idea of ​​how hard or how long we are doing. A typical reaction to this situation is to exercise longer; music «distorts» the true picture of fatigue.

• Dementia: how to live with those who are nearby

Allows you to keep in touch

There is a lot of evidence for the preservation of musical memory in people suffering from senile dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Some of them, in the presence of music, managed to revive memories that seemed to be lost forever. Music has also been shown to have a positive effect on verbal memory and focus in patients recovering from a stroke (Brain, 3, 2008). For a person with a memory impairment, music helps not only to keep in touch with others, but also to keep in touch with their personal history and identity.

For more details, see V. Williamson “We are the music. How music affects our brain, health and life in general” (Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2015).