Music has been around us for thousands of years and has profoundly affected us all. It is a language that has transcended generations, cultures, and borders, bringing people together for as long as we can remember.
Music has the power to evoke emotions in us and unlock memories from the past like hidden treasures in our brains. It has also been known to have therapeutic and healing properties. As psychologists explore music’s influence and impact on our minds, they continue to make fascinating discoveries. Have you ever wondered why music has such an impactful and profound effect on you? We explore the influence of music on our brains.
Emotional Influence
Certain sounds, rhythms and tempos can unlock an emotional response in us as we listen to music. Think about a time when you have listened to a hard rock track and that pumped feeling you got or a ballade that made you emotional, bringing you to tears.
Music has a range of powerful abilities, so much so that it is used in therapy to help patients reduce stress and improve their psychological well-being.
The use of music in movies is also essential in creating feeling and atmosphere as it can crescendo to pensive moments in a horror film or build suspense throughout a scene. Music can have a powerful influence on our emotional state of being.
Music And Memory
Some research has shown that music can have a positive effect on memory. As we listen to music it reacts with certain parts of our brain that are associated with memory, speech, reward, emotion, and reasoning.
Listening to our favorite songs can unlock memories or experiences associated with them. Music can also help us to form new memories for our future memory bank. Similar to the power of smell or the impact an iconic or emotive photograph can have, music can extract forgotten moments.
Cultural Connection
There is a strong connection between culture and music. People identify incredibly strongly with sounds from their heritage. It forms part of festivals, ceremonies, and gatherings. We use music to celebrate moments like weddings and birthdays. At sports events, fans will break out into song when their team is doing well. It brings us together as people and forms strong connections to where we come from and creates a sense of belonging.
Lyrics
Music can tell its audience a story through an artist’s lyrics accompanied by a melody. Used to connect with their fans and convey a message of either social or personal struggle and self-expression. These messages unleash different feelings and sometimes help people who relate to them. This emotional connection that is formed with the listener is important to any artist to create an impact.
Language
The universal power of music allows people from diverse backgrounds to connect. It transcends language barriers and cultural differences allowing us to share in something together and form new bonds. For example, no matter what language they speak, everyone understands the music in the online pokies New Zealand offers as it rises in tempo when there’s a win, and speeds up as the reels roll to build excitement and suspense.
Motivation Through Music
There is a reason why you will see people in the gym with headphones in. It’s not only so they can listen to their favorite jams, it also helps to energize people during exercise.
Different tempos can illicit functional responses in your body, be it heart rate or just general motivation to work harder during an exercise. Runners will often choose a playlist that sports a certain tempo or beats per minute to help keep them to a certain pace or heart rate.
Certain types of music can also help us focus on our studies. Being able to concentrate on your books can help you to achieve better results.
Cognitive Abilities
Exposure to music from a very young age has been linked to the improvement of cognitive abilities from a young age. Improvements in language skills, spatial-temporal abilities and mathematical understanding have been possible outcomes linked to early exposure to music.
Other applications of music have been through a variety of music therapies in patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism, and depression. Music has been used to address some of the challenges faced with each of these conditions and has shown some remarkable improvements.
Outro
The influence of music on us is remarkable. From assisting us with memory capabilities to connecting us, it is evident that music plays an influential and powerful role in our lives. May you continue to be inspired and listen to your favorite songs and melodies.
