By Ariel Colhoun Passionate about increasing the sphere of influence for women & driving positive change.
Let's face it ... since the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, every day for some may seem like one big monotonous Groundhog day where we are reliving the same day over and over again. For some of us, the 'new norm' has caused disruptions in our daily routines ... and this combined with the absence of work has caused the days to all blend into one making us tend to forget more than usual. The ongoing effects of monotony can be detrimental to your health and are generally conceded to be negative factors that can have adverse effects on your morale, quality of work, and mental health. A quick and immediate way to counteract these potentially harmful effects can be found through music.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato
Need A Memory Boost?
Many research studies demonstrate the positive effects that both listening to music and playing an instrument can have on keeping your brain stimulated. Playing a musical instrument or simply listening to music can enhance key cognitive functions such as:
attention to detail
memory
problem-solving
emotional intelligence
predictive capabilities based on experiential memories, pattern recognition, and sensory information
creativity
Because our brains are constantly performing these complex predictive calculations, we can respond almost immediately to music and have the innate ability to predict the next note before it is even played. In the book, The Power of Music, Elena Mannes writes, “Scientists have found that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function.” Music has been found to not only enhance key cognitive functions but also helps with reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. It also helps with pain reduction, brain injuries, and even Alzheimer's.
The Power Of Music
"Ever get chills listening to a particularly moving piece of music? You can thank the salience network of the brain for that emotional joint", states researcher at the University of Utah.
According to their researchers, they believe "music will tap into the salience network of the brain that is still relatively functioning". They specifically looked into the salience network of the brain and believe this region remains an island of remembrance that is spared from the disruptions caused by Alzheimer's disease. Their study aimed to explore a mechanism that triggers the attention network within the brain's salience zone and found music was exactly that mechanism.
Alzheimer's is well-known to be directly associated with disorientation and high anxiety levels. Their research found that playing music to Alzheimer's patients soothed them immediately and notably reduced confusion and related anxiety whereby simultaneously benefitting their caregivers as well. The overall results not only offer a new way for dementia patients to approach anxiety, depression, and agitation but also demonstrated that music activates the brain, causing whole regions to communicate. Regulation in adjacent brain regions can also offer ways to prolong the continuing regression caused by the illness. Jeff Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in Radiology at the University of Utah Health and contributing author on the study says, "In our society, the diagnoses of dementia are snowballing and are taxing resources to the max ... no one says playing music will be a cure for Alzheimer's disease, but it might make the symptoms more manageable, decrease the cost of care, and improve a patient's quality of life." The researchers found that music activates the brain, causing whole regions to communicate.
Aging & Memory Loss
It is common knowledge that aging followed by cognitive loss is inevitable but new research suggests that the degree of loss depends on several factors in the lifestyle. One such factor is musical practice, an activity involving several sensory and motor systems and a wide range of cognitive processes at the highest level. According to research studies completed at the University of Granada, "Musical practice, that is, musical training and performance, is one of the activities that is considered to contribute to cognitive reserve. Playing an instrument involves multiple sensory and motor systems and requires a wide variety of higher-level cognitive processes." The results of their research suggest that musical practice is an effective tool for preventing the decline of healthy aging and improving cognitive functioning.
If there is one thing we can all understand, it is that we are all hardwired for music and common wisdom tells us that music is the language of emotion.
At Clean Beauty Reset, we hope more researchers will continue to dedicate further research of the brain and how music has the potential to open doors to more opportunities in benefitting our health in the long run. Healthy aging is something we all strive for and studies have shown that's it's never too late to benefit from the positive effects of music on your mind, body, and soul.
The Positive Effects Of Music
Music unites us all and is a universal language. It is naturally encoded into our genes. There's no denying it - music is in all of us. From the moment we are born until the moment we leave this earth, we all have a natural relationship between music and the way it makes us feel on both the inside and out.
Research has also shown links between boosting creativity with positive and upbeat music. Human beings are hardwired for music. When we hear a song we like, we automatically begin to feel good, we begin to sing or hum along, and our feet start to move – we want to dance. Music brings out all those 'happy' hormones and has the ability to change your mood in an instant.
So if you are feeling the pandemic blues, put on your favourite tunes, harness the power, turn up the volume, dance, and let your imagination flow. It’s a great way to clear your mind, get the energy flowing, and turn on that creativity!
All posts are intended strictly for educational purposes. It is not intended to make any representations or warranties about the outcome of any product/service.
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