Whether you prefer the tunes of classical, soul, pop, R&B or country, we can all agree that music has the power to nourish the soul like nothing else can. Music is so fascinating because even when devoid of complex ideas or even words, it contains the capacity to engender intense emotional responses.
Physically, our bodies react when we listen to music that we enjoy. For example, our blood pressure rises, our pupils dilate, and the cerebellum region of our brain which controls movement shows an increase in activity. Fascinatingly, blood is directed to the legs to supply extra nutrients and oxygen to provide the energy for feet motion like dancing and tapping, which are often associated with listening to music.
In Nature Neuroscience, an article was published by a group of researchers from Montreal who studied brain activity when a group of 217 participants listened to music. These researchers used fMRIs and PET scans to examine the participants’ brains when listening to different genres of music.
The results of this study provide some scientific explanations for the physical and emotional reactions inspired by music. One thing the research team discovered is that music activates the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine into the dorsal and ventral striatum in the brain. The same thing occurs during sexual intercourse, eating tasty foods, and any other pleasurable activity.
Another intriguing discovery that the team found was that the brain undergoes an “anticipatory phase” before the participant’s favorite part of the song or right before the “climax of emotional responses.” This phase includes increased activity in the caudate part of the brain which functions to signal that a pleasurable sequence of audio sounds will soon occur, and thus prompts the brain’s anticipation for a euphoric emotional state.
Similarly, studies conducted at Oxford University indicate that singing music can cause a person to experience euphoria similar to that of a “runners high,” which means the body undergoes a release of endorphins.
An interesting study conducted by Liila Taruffi and Stefan Koelsch at the Free University of Berlin examined the positive emotional effects that listening to sad music can have on a listener. The study involved the survey of 722 people from different parts of the world on the topic of sad music. An overwhelming amount of participants noted that listening to sad music can offer emotional consolation and can facilitate a healthy regulation of negative moods., Nostalgia, peacefulness, and transcendence were some of the emotions identified when participants were asked what they felt when listening to sad music. The study showed that when a person feels lonely or distressed and chooses to listen to sad music, the sad music is often beneficial in providing solace and comfort.
Music does not only affect people emotionally, but it can also work to boost one’s physical health. It has been proven that listening to music can actually improve one’s immune system as music lowers stress levels by reducing levels of cortisol, the stress-activating chemical, in the body.
In addition, listening to music helps raise immune flags in the body which act as markers to induce the production of natural antibodies that fight disease. Listening to music can also aid in pain relief, both chronic and postoperative. The Journal of Advanced Nursing found that listening to music can reduce long lasting pain caused by arthritis and disc problems by up to 21% and can help lower depression by 25%. Additionally, listening to music during childbirth reduced postnatal pain, worry, and the chances of developing postpartum depression.
Much more research has been done on the effects music has on our lives, but one thing is for certain: music occupies a unique and important niche in our emotional and physical well-being.