Music is one of life’s greatest stress relievers, and without it, the world would be much worse off. Enjoying music in various capacities, whether it’s passively listening, learning how to play, or performing for an audience, can be incredibly beneficial to your health and well-being, and this article will share with you some of the positive effects that it can have on you.
1. Improved Cardiovascular & Respiratory Activity
Music has the fascinating ability to influence your heart rate, blood pressure, and your breathing, which is highly correlated to the tempos and rhythms that are currently being heard.
Slower tempo music, especially those with simpler rhythmic structures, can produce a relaxing effect on your body, which can be helpful for those who want to de-stress or concentrate on an activity, like studying.
In a relaxed state, you can expect to have a lower heart rate and blood pressure, and you will also notice that your breathing is more under control.
Faster and rhythmically-challenging music can provide stress-relief for different reasons; however, it is generally arousing and can increase the activity of your organs, which is why it’s ideal for those who are trying to have a more intense workout, or they’re simply looking to have fun.
Getting the blood flowing is good for you when it’s under controlled situations, hence why cardio and other aerobic exercises are highly recommended for people who are looking to get in shape and improve their health overall.
2. It Can Uplift Your Mood
As mentioned earlier, music is a great way to relieve stress because it can have an effect on multiple biochemicals in the body that play a role in how you feel.
Two of these biochemicals, also known as neurotransmitters, are serotonin and dopamine. You may have already heard of these before and are aware that they are associated with influencing your happiness and well-being.
This means that music may be able to help provide some relief for common mental health issues like depression and anxiety, which are linked with your serotonin levels.
Dopamine, on the other hand, is connected with your brain’s reward system, and this is why listening to music is a great source of pleasure for most people.
Music, however, shouldn’t be a replacement for medication and therapy, but when used in combination with these, especially CBT, which you can learn about here, you can greatly improve your outcomes and overcome mental health issues.
3. It Can Improve Memory & Attention
Having relaxing music playing in the background can improve people’s ability to concentrate, and there’s a good chance you’ve experienced this first-hand at some point in your life.
This is because music can stimulate the parts of the brain that are essential to learning, especially when it comes to attention and memory.
People who study while listening to calming music, especially in the classical and jazz genres, often report having better academic performances due to being able to recall information easier, but this can partly be due to the fact that the quality of studying is better due to increased focus.
Not only that, people might be able to perform better simply because they are more relaxed, overall!
People who listen to music before an exam or other important event can have decreased performance or test anxiety, and this can naturally translate to higher scores and better grades.
Conclusion
Music can be a positive force in many people’s lives beyond just appreciating it, and hopefully, this article has shown you some of the most practical ways that it can be used to improve your physical and mental health. Its benefits should not be underestimated, and perhaps next time you enjoy music, you’ll be aware of these effects as they are happening.
