Health Benefits Of Music
Music And Health
11 Ways Playing & Listening To Music
Help Both Body & Mind
By Amanda L. Chan
Ah, the Healing Power of Music.
Whether it's the perfect song after a bad break-up, or something relaxing to listen to while you study, there are endless ways that music makes our hearts and souls feel better. But research shows that music can have benefits for our bodies, too.
So whether you're a fan of Vivaldi, The Beatles or Dolly Parton - or all three! - be sure to check out our
round-up of the health benefits of both playing and listening to music below. How does music help you?
Eases Anxiety In Cancer Patients
Researchers from Drexel University found that cancer patients who either listened to music or
worked with a music therapist experienced a reduction in anxiety. The review by the Cochrane Collaboration included 1,891 people with cancer, and found that people who participated in music somehow not only had decreased anxiety, but also better blood pressure levels and improved moods, HealthDay reported.
Reduces Stress
If you listen to your iPod every day on your way to work or break out the guitar every evening, then you'll like this finding. A doctoral thesis from the University of Gothenburg reveals that listening to music every day lowers stress. The thesis was based on the results of two studies, which showed that people who listened to music also felt positive emotions. "But it should be pointed out that when studying emotional responses to music it is important to remember that all people do not respond in the exact same way to a piece of music and that one individual can respond differently to the same piece of music at different times, depending on both individual and situational factors," thesis author Marie Helsing said in a statement. "To get the positive effects of music, you have to listen to music that you like."
Helps During Surgery
Listening to music while lying on the operating table could help to lower stress, TIME reported. The research, conducted by Cleveland Clinic researchers, included patients - mostly with Parkinson's disease - as they were undergoing brain surgery. The researchers found that the study participants who listened to pure melodies
- versus just rhythmic arrangements, or a mix of the two - were comforted the most. Their brains also reflected this calming, TIME reported, with some of the study participants even falling asleep.
Protects Your Ears' Sound-Processing Abilities
A 2011 study in the journal Psychology and Aging shows that being a lifelong musician is linked with better sound processing, the Washington Post reported. The study included 163 people (74 of whom had played music all their lives). The researchers also found a link between hearing test scores and the amount of time the study participants practiced their music, according to the Washington Post.
Boosts Heart Health
Odd as it may seem, University of Maryland Medical Center researchers have found a link between listening to music and heart health. The researchers found that listening to joyful music is linked with dilation of blood vessels' inner lining, meaning more flow of blood through the blood vessels. Specifically, the diameter of blood vessels grew by 26 percent when a person listened to
happy music. However, the opposite effect was noted when a person listened to anxiety-triggering music -- blood vessel diameter decreased by 6 percent as a result. The research was presented in 2008 at a meeting of the American Heart Association.
Soothes Pain
Researchers from University of Utah Pain Research Center showed that listening to music is effective as a distraction for anxiety-prone people from feeling pain, and as a result, could help people feel less pain. The study, which included 143 people, was published in the Journal of Pain.
The researchers found that music helped the study participants to have
less arousal when shocked with non-dangerous fingertip electrodes.
Helps Memory
Kids who take music lessons could be doing their brains a favor, according to Hong Kong researchers. WebMD reported that taking music lessons is linked with doing better on tests where you have to recall words you read on a list. And "the more music training during childhood, the better the verbal memory," study researcher Agnes S. Chan, PhD, a psychologist at the
Chinese University of Hong Kong, told WebMD.
"This strongly implies that the better verbal memory in children with music training is not simply a matter of differences in age, education level, or their family's socioeconomic characteristics."
Protects The Aging Brain
Having musical training could protect your mental sharpness in old age, according to a 2011 study in the journal Neuropsychology. HealthDay reported on the study of 70 people ages 60 to 83, with varying levels of music experience. The researchers from the University
of Kansas Medical Center found that the people who had the most musical training in their lives had the best mental sharpness, and scored the highest on brain functioning tests.
Prevents Heart Transplant Rejection (In Mice)
It may so far only be shown in mice, but it's still pretty amazing: Japanese researchers found that exposing mice to certain kinds of music was linked with "prolonged survival" after a heart transplant, Miller-McCune reported. The mice in the study were exposed to either Mozart, Verdi (opera
music), New Age-type music, no music at all, or a sound frequency. Mice
who listened to Mozart & Verdi had a longer survival time after the heart transplant, compared to the other mice, according to Miller-McCune.
Improves Stroke Recovery
Finnish researchers found that listening to music soon after a stroke could help with recovery, News Medical reported.
Published in 2008 in the journal Brain, researchers found that listening to music was linked with improved verbal memory and attention among stroke patients, compared with listening to audio books or not listening to anything at all.
Works As Well As A Massage At Lowering Anxiety
Massages are super-relaxing, sure - but a study in the journal Depression and Anxiety shows that music could also do the trick, at least when it comes to decreasing anxiety. Researchers from the Group Health Research Institute found that patients who got 10 hour-long massages had the same decreased anxiety symptoms three months later as people who simply listened to music (and went sans-massage), HealthDay reported. The study included 68 people who received the 10 massages with music, laid down while listening to music (but didn't get a massage), or were wrapped with warm pads and towels while listening to music (but didn't get a massage), according to HealthDay.
20 Surprising, Science-Backed
Health Benefits of Music
Scott Christ Scott Christ December 12, 2013
"One good thing about music, is when it hits you, you feel no pain."
Judging from the quote above, Bob Marley was part poet, part
scientist. That’s because there’s truth to his head-bobbing lyrics from
the song Trenchtown Rock. Research suggests that music not only helps us cope with pain - it can also benefit our physical and mental health in numerous other ways. Read on to learn how listening to tunes can ramp up your health.
RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT MUSIC CAN...
Help Physically:
1. Ease pain. Music can meaningfully reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in geriatric care, intensive care, or palliative medicine (an area of healthcare that focuses on preventing and relieving the suffering of patients).
2. Motivate people to bike harder. A study of healthy male college students found that, while riding stationary bicycles, the participants worked harder while listening to fast music . Extra bonus: They also enjoyed the music more.
3. Improve running motivation and performance. Here’s an easy way to beat your best time if you’re a runner: Listen to your favorite “pump-up” music. Listening to music may help people run faster, boost their workout motivation, and enhance their endurance .
4. Increase workout endurance. Listening to those top workout tracks can boost physical performance and increase endurance during a tough exercise session. This works partly through the power of distraction: When we're focusing on a favorite album, we may not notice that we just ran an extra mile .
5. Speed up post-workout recovery. One study found that listening to music after a workout can help the body recover faster. While slow music produced a greater relaxation effect post-exercise, it seems that any kind of music can help the physical recovery process.
6. Improve sleep quality. Listening to classical music has been shown to effectively treat insomnia in college students, making it a safe, cheap alternative to sleep-inducing meds .
7. Help people eat less. One study found that playing soft music (and dimming the lights) during a meal can help people slow down while eating and ultimately consume less food in one sitting (perhaps because slowing down helps them to be more mindful of fullness cues) .
8. Enhance blood vessel function. Scientists have found that the emotions patients experience while listening to music have a healthy effect on blood vessel function. Music both made study participants feel happier and resulted in increased blood flow in their blood vessels.
Help Mentally:
10. Induce a meditative state. Listening to slow musical beats can alter brainwave speed,
creating brainwave activity similar to when a person is meditating or in a hypnotic state. Some research suggests that using rhythmic stimuli (such as music) to induce these states can have a therapeutic effect, easing symptoms of migraines, PMS, and even behavioral issues .
11. Relieve symptoms of depression. When you’re feeling down in the dumps, music can help pick you up (much like exercise) . Research suggests the kind of music matters: Classical and meditative sounds seem to be particularly
uplifting, whereas heavy metal and techno can actually make depressive symptoms worse.
12. Elevate mood. A
2013 study found that music helped put people in a better mood and get in touch with their feelings. Study participants rated “arousal and mood regulation” and “self-awareness” as the two most important benefits of listening to music.
13. Improve cognitive performance. Background music may enhance performance on cognitive tasks . One older study found that listening to music allowed test takers to complete more questions in the time allotted, and get more answers right . More recent research suggests that whether or not music improves cognitive function depends on whether the music first improves a person’s emotional state.
14. Help people perform better in high-pressure situations. Want to sink the game-winning shot when the pressure’s on? Listen to some upbeat tunes before the big game. One study found that basketball players prone to performing poorly under pressure during games were significantly better during high-pressure free-throw shooting if they first listened to catchy, upbeat music and lyrics.
15. Reduce anxiety as much as a massage. One study found that music’s effect on anxiety levels is similar to the effect of getting a massage . Here’s an idea: Treat yourself to a massage and bring your favorite chilled out tunes to play during the session. Double the relaxation!
16. Relax patients before surgery. One study found that listening to music helped put cardiovascular surgery patients at ease as they awaited their operations . That’s a major benefit for the nearly four million people who get heart surgery each year in the U.S.
17. Ease stress after surgery. Music isn’t only helpful pre-surgery. Another study revealed that listening to music while resting in bed after open heart surgery helped relax patients and decrease their stress levels.
18. Elevate mood while driving. Listening to music while driving can positively impact mood . So when you’re feeling cranky in the car, try cranking some of your favorite tunes.
19. Help cancer patients manage stress and anxiety. Music has been found to help cancer patients communicate their feelings, manage stress, and ease physical pain and discomfort . It can also reduce anxiety and improve their quality of life .
20. Ease recovery in stroke patients. Researchers in Finland concluded that when stroke patients listened to music for two hours a day, their verbal memory and attention improved and they had a more positive mood compared to patients who didn’t listen to music or who listened to audio books .
Regardless of your taste in music, it’s clear that tunes benefit our health. The best part? Now you have an excuse for blaring Beethoven while your roommate is trying to study.
How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain
Anita Collins 🎼 TED-Ed
When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout.
Beethoven
May Have Composed Masterpieces
To His Own Irregular Heartbeat
By Carolyn Gregoire Posted: 01/11/2015
Many who listen to Beethoven's masterpieces would describe them as deeply heartfelt -- and according to new research, this description may be surprisingly apt.
The
unusual rhythms found in some of Beethoven's most iconic works may be linked to the heart condition cardiac arrhythmia, which he is suspected to have had, research from the University of Michigan and University of Washington suggests.
In a new paper published in the journal Perspectives in Biology and Medicine,
the researchers - a cardiologist, a medical historian and a musicologist - investigated the link between the German composer's
likely heart condition and his music. "We started thinking about the ways that somebody's physical illnesses and physical body could manifest in the music they were
making," one of the study's co-authors, Dr. Joel Howell, a medical historian and professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan, told The Huffington Post.
The researchers examined the rhythmic patterns of a number of Beethoven's compositions for clues of this condition, and indeed found that the rhythms of certain sections of his famous works reflect the irregular rhythms of cardiac arrhythmia.
“When your heart beats irregularly from heart disease, it does so in some predictable patterns," Howell said in a written statement. "We think we hear some of those same patterns in his music.”
Cardiac arrhythmia can cause the heart to beat too slow, too fast or with an irregular beat. The researchers found that unexpected changes of pace and keys - such as the intense final movement “Cavatina” in Beethoven’s String Quartet in B-flat Major, Opus 130 - appeared to match these patterns. Arrhythmic patterns were also detected in iconic pieces like the Piano Sonata in A-flat major, Opus 110.
Historians and physicians have substantial inferential evidence to suggest that Beethoven suffered from heart disease, in addition to a host of other maladies, including irritable bowel syndrome and syphilis. Many of the maladies Beethoven was known to suffer from have been found to contribute to an irregular heartbeat, Howell explained.
According to the paper's authors, Beethoven's deafness could have made him even more sensitive to the rhythm of his own heartbeat, which is perhaps why it was so influential for his music.
But Beethoven isn't the only famous artist who may have had a medical condition that deeply affected his work. Claude Monet experienced vision problems
and was diagnosed with cataracts in the later years of his life. Around the age of 65, he began experiencing changes in his perception of color - and at this time, his paintings shifted towards muddier colors. After he was diagnosed with cataracts at age 72, Monet's work became noticeably more abstract.
"The synergy between our minds and our
bodies shapes how we experience the world," Howell said in the
statement. "This is especially apparent in the world of arts and music,
which reflects so much of people's innermost experiences."
♫
20 Surprising, Science-Backed Health Benefits of Music A ...
greatist.com/happiness/unexpected-health-benefits-music
Dec 12, 2013 - A growing body of research says music isn't just good for helping us get into our groove; it also benefits our physical and mental health in a ...
www.usatoday.com/.../health/.../health-benefits-music/40534...
Dec 17, 2013 - "One good thing about music, is when it hits you, you feel no pain." Judging from the quote above, Bob Marley was part poet, part scientist.
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Apr 11, 2012 - be sure to check out our round-up of the health benefits of both playing and listening to music below. And tell us in the comments: How does...
Music Health Benefits
It’s Good for the Mind, Body and Soul.
Playing and listening to music can help you mind, body and soul. Listening to
your favorite tunes can instantly put you into a good mood, scientists are now discovering how music can do more for you than just lift your spirits.
Music has healing powers!
How music can help you physically and mentally:
1. Ease and soothe pain.
2. Motivate you to run faster or bike harder.
3. Improves motivation and performance in sports.
4. Increases workout endurance.
5. Speeds up post-workout recovery.
6. Helps people eat less and relax more.
7. Improves your sleep quality.
8. Helps enhance blood vessel function.
9. Reduce stress.
10. Relieve symptoms of depression.
11. Induce a meditative state.
12. Elevate your mood.
13. Improve cognitive performance.
14. Help people perform better in high-pressure situations.
15. Relax patients before surgery.
16. Reduce anxiety as much as massage.
17. Ease stress after surgery.
18. Help cancer patients manage stress and anxiety.
19. Elevate mood while driving.
20. Ease recovery in stroke patients.
21. Helps memory and protects the aging brain.
What Kind of Music is Best for What?
1. CHRONIC BACK PAIN
Experts believe any type of classical music such as Mozart or
Beethoven can help relieve muscle pain. Calm, slow music is also thought
to help.
2. IMPROVES YOUR WORKOUT
The best type of music for exercise is thought to be high energy, high tempo music such as dance music.
3. MEMORY LOSS
Research shows that people with memory loss respond best to music of their choice. For more go here. Now a study has found that in fact music can strengthen the heart – and improve the recovery of patients suffering from heart disease. ♫
Cardiologists said the findings suggested that all people could boost the health of their hearts simply by listening to their favorite tunes. Patients with cardiac disease were divided into three groups. Some were enrolled in exercise classes for three weeks. Others were put in the same classes, but also told to listen to music of their choice at any point for 30 minutes every day. A third group only listened to music, and did not take cardio-vascular exercise, which is usually prescribed to those with heart disease.
At the end of the trial, the patients who had listened to music as well
as exercising had boosted crucial measures of heart function significantly, and improved their exercise capacity by 39 per cent. More here.
♫
Do you listen to music for any of these reasons?
Now that you know the health benefits to listening to music you can update your playlists, go grab tickets to a concert coming soon and enjoy the music!
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