Our lives are constantly surrounded by different sounds and music. We hear birds singing, dogs barking, cars barking, and music when we watch TV, listen to the radio, or play music. It is almost impossible to imagine life without sounds and music. And we don’t have to, because music and a variety of sounds decorate our lives and make them more vivid and memorable. Music can affect our life both positively, inspiring us, and can destroy us, upset our psyche.
Nowadays, the use of the power of music has been put on a scientific basis. Many serious scientists study the reserves of musical influence on various areas of human life. Of course, ordinary people don’t wait for tips from scientists, but simply make their favorite music part of their lives. But still, how does music affect our daily lives?
The Influence of Music on Learning
Listening to classical music, or better yet, practicing it, has a beneficial effect on the ability to learn. The names of composers such as Mozart, Vivaldi, and Bach come first. Just 10 minutes of piano music by Mozart increases the IQ by 8-10, and a 5-minute musical session noticeably increases concentration.
There is also evidence that remembering information is helped by pop music from the 1980s and ’90s. It was during this period that most compositions contained 50-80 beats per minute, a rhythm that tunes the brain to remember and improves logical thinking. Learning to play musical instruments at an early age is known to be beneficial for a child’s further development. In 2008, Mary Forgerd, Ellen Winner, and Andrea Norton (n) teachers at the University of St. Andrews found that children who are engaged in music for around three years excel their peers on four indicators: listening to information, motor skills, vocabulary, and logical thinking.
Thus, scientists concluded that years of intensive music practice have a positive impact not only on the interhemispheric organization of auditory and motor functions but also on the process of redistribution of mental functions between the left and right hemispheres of the brain (lateralization).
Listening and Playing Music Reduces Stress
Most people like to listen to music without fully realizing the effect it has on people and their psyche. Sometimes the music causes excessive energy, and sometimes it has a relaxing effect. But whatever the listener’s reaction to music, it certainly tends to have an effect on the human psyche.
Music can not only reduce stress levels psychologically – distract from everyday troubles, suppress or defuse negative emotions – but also regulate the biological response. There are two main biological systems associated with the stress response. One is the sympathetic nervous system, which reacts quickly to stress and affects many organs: our heart rate goes up and our blood pressure goes up, we release adrenaline. The second system is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This is part of our endocrine or hormonal system, which triggers a cascade of hormones in response to a stressful situation or event. One of these is cortisol, the well-known stress hormone.
We often go to concerts to relax. Cortisol levels decrease in the same way after attending different types of concerts, both pop artists and classical music performances, although the psychological mechanisms of stress reduction work differently. Stress can also be reduced when performing music, but it depends greatly on the context. When professional singers perform music for each other in a relaxed environment, their cortisol levels go down, but when they do it in front of a huge audience, on the contrary, they go up.
Music Influences Workout Efficiency
It’s boring to work out in total silence. Sports clubs and fitness studios play all kinds of music. But few people think that this music is not mindlessly on the radio or the favorite playlist of the club director, but a carefully selected story that aims for success, comfort, efficiency and good mood of the visitors. Running to upbeat music is much easier, time flies faster, your mood is better, and your motivation is higher.
To begin with, let’s understand what the speed of music is. On the speed depends, if not everything, then a lot. You can’t do yoga and run on the same wave. Here’s a visual chart that shows what speed music is best for running. But it can actually be used as a reference point for any other sport as well.
For example, interval training requires participants to be active. Waltz in no way suitable, here you need fast rhythmic tracks in the style of funk, reggaeton and hip-hop. These genres have a clearly defined rhythm, usually a medium to medium-fast tempo, to which it is convenient to move. Some dance genres are also suitable. Especially popular lately is the deep house. Its peculiarity is that with a minimum of instruments and vocals DJs use samples of live instruments, so it is not as monotonous as, for example, the usual house, techno or electro house.
That’s It!
Thus, music is very much a part of everyone’s life. In all times past and in all times to come, music is and will be the thing that accompanies us. And to underestimate its importance in our lives is foolish, to say the least. So, it is up to us to decide what music will shape us and our future generation as individuals. It is up to us to decide what kind of music influence we will choose.
As mentioned above, music is very diverse and what to listen to a person chooses, listening to their personal preferences. Hence the conclusion that the impact of music on the psyche of the first thing depends on the man himself, on his character, personality traits and, of course, temperament. So, you need to choose and listen to the music, which is more to your liking, and not the one that is imposed or presented as necessary or useful.
Jim Loverraiz
