The 7 Amazing Effects Music Has on Your Brain

The 7 Amazing Effects Music Has on Your Brain

Listening to music can affect the way that you work. If you pick the right music, you may feel boosts in productivity or creativity. Here are 7 effects that music can have on your brain.

1. Happy Music = Creativity: If you listen to happier music, you will feel more creative. Happy music creates more "divergent thinking" which is thinking that helps you come up with ideas that are out of the box. Even if you don't like the happy song, you will see boosts in creativity. One study even linked 50 Cent's In Da Club to a higher level of confidence. Some suggest that you should listen to the song before a job interview.

2. Mood Boosting Music = More Productivity: If you need to be more productive, you can listen to mood boosting music. In a study with IT workers, there was evidence that suggested these workers completed more tasks while they were listening to mood-boosting music. Music creates the release of dopamine in the reward center of the brain. The mood boosting music ensured that these workers were able to be less stressed when they were working. People tend to make better decisions when they are not under stress as they see all of the available options.

3. Listen To Your Favorite Songs For More Empathy: If you are looking to build your empathy and self-awareness, make sure that you listen to your favorite songs. People listening to their favorite songs have more brain connections in parts of their brains which correspond with empathy/self-awareness.

4. Staying Alert Is Aided By Music: Surgeons listen to music in order to stay more engaged in their work. Surgeons listening to music find that they are able to make significantly fewer mistakes while performing surgery when they are listening to music according to a 1994 study.

5. Introverts and Extroverts Affected Differently: Extroverts are more likely to listen to music while they are at work than introverts. The brains of extroverts are wired differently, which means that introverts and extroverts are more likely to respond to music differently.

6. Listening To Music Before Work Is Key: If you listen to music 10-15 minutes before work, you are likely going to feel more relaxed. This will put you in a better mood before it is time to get started, and you will be able to better focus on the task at hand.

7. In Advertising, Balancing Emotion/Info is Key: Commercials with music are effective when they tap into emotion. Some types of advertising work best with generic music, while other types are effective with music that allows people to react emotionally. The key for advertisers is to use the right balance of music to create emotions in their ads.

Josh Gruss is the founder and CEO of Round Hill Music.