October 31, 2022
Music and the brain have a deep relation, it has been observed in many researches that music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, pain, improves sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and memory.
Music is a potential method of therapy and a means of accessing and stimulating specific cerebral circuits. There is also an association between musical creativity and psychopathology. This paper provides a brief review.
One of the differences between the developed brains of Homo sapiens and those of the great apes is the increase in area allocated to processing auditory information.
Playing and listening to music works for several areas of brain:
These areas are:
Corpus Callosum: It connects both the hemispheres of the brain, ensures both sides of the brain can communicate and send signals to each other.
Sensory Cortex: Controls tactile feedback while playing instruments or dancing.
Motor cortex: Involved in movement while dancing or playing music.
Auditory cortex: Listens to sounds, perceives and analyzes tones.
Prefrontal cortex: Controls behaviors, expressions and decision making.
Hippocampus: Involved in music memories, experiences and context.
Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala: Involved with emotional reaction to music.
Visual Context: Involved in reading music or looking at your own dance moves.
Cerebellum: Involved in movement while dancing or playing an instrument, as well as emotional reaction.
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Music helps in:
Pulls attention away from negative stimuli: Music works as a distractor where you will be distracted from the negative vibes.
Releases the “Feel Good” Chemical: When we listen to music, the neurotransmitter dopamine (also known as feel good chemical) is released in our bodies. This is the same chemical that causes runner's high in athlete
Stimulates Brainwaves: We listen to music on a strong beat, our brain waves can be stimulated, faster beats encourage more concentrated and alert thinking while slower beats are associated with relaxed meditative states.
Improves your state of mind: Listening to music relaxes your mind and helps you to keep anxiety, depression and stress at bay.
Reduces the perception of pain: It has been found that when we listen calm and peaceful music, our perception of pain is reduced. Music takes your mind off the pain and helps you focus on something else.
Music therapy is an effective aid for psychology related issues such as:
Stress
Pain Management
Meditation
Socialization
Reality Orientation
Express of Emotions
Treatment Tolerance
Communication
Music pulls attention away from negative stimuli as when we listen to music it works as a distractor from negative stimuli and shifts towards positive ones. People who are habitual of listening to good music are found mentally healthy as compared to those who don’t listen. Music has the ability to repair damages in the brain.