HOW DOES MUSIC AFFECT THE BRAIN? By Morganne Throughout history music has had a massive impact on human culture. From the cave men using instruments of bone and rock to the artists playing in the Royal Opera House; the impact music has on our lives is vast. Every day it motivates us, provides us with an escape, it wakes us up in the morning and accompanies us on our weekly shop. Music is all around us and, due to the improvement in technology in recent years, scientists have been able to discover more about the effects that listening to music and playing an instrument has on the brain.
When listening to music no area of the brain is left untouched. When the brain was studied whilst listening to music it was described as, ‘fireworks all over the brain’. However, the most obvious difference between listening to and playing music is that playing a musical instrument involves fine motor skills. Scientists have described that, ‘playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full body work-out’. Playing music engages practically every area of the brain at once. It combines the linguistical and mathematical precision of the left hemisphere with the more creative aspects of the right. Music has been found to increase the size and activity of the brain’s corpus collosum, which is the bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain and allows messages to get across from one hemisphere to another. This increase allows for messages to get across faster and through more diverse routes, which improves a musician’s ability to solve problems quicker and more creatively in academic and social settings. Studies found that children who have studied music for over three years tested higher for non-verbal reasoning, fine motor skills, auditory discrimination and vocabulary. Music has both a psychological and physical impact on the brain and body. It distracts your brain from registering your body’s fatigue as well as increasing endurance and improving the heart and muscles. Music can be used in the medical industry to help patients to relearn language. It is used to find other pathways in the brain to trigger
language and speech when the left hemisphere is damaged, as music has access to so many parts of the brain. Recent studies have also shown that music can help to reduce a person’s perception of pain. Music has a positive effect on memory. Musicians appear to give each memory multiple tags such as a conceptual tag, an emotional tag, an audio tag and a contextual tag. This allows musicians to create, store and retrieve memories faster and more efficiently. Listening to music you enjoy triggers the brain to release dopamine and serotonin, which are naturally occurring chemicals that elevate your mood, can make you feel relaxed and can help you to stay focused. However, listening to music you don’t like can also have a physical effect as your brain releases cortisol, the stress hormone. In conclusion, music has many physical and psychological impacts on the brain and body. From releasing that feel-good hormone and improving your state of mind, to reducing pain and restoring speech. The incredible impacts of music on the body and mind are felt by everyone all over the world and throughout history. REFERENCES www.creativesoulmusic.com/blog/what-are-theeffects-of-music-on-the-brain www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRE624795zU www.youtube.com/watch?v=s19Fr-_WaXo
MALVERN ST JAMES
GIRLS’ SCHOOL
43
