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If the human species has a fundamental attribute, then it is music. In all cultures around the world, from the most primitive to the most advanced, humans continue to make music. So in tune or not, humans love to sing or hum. Similarly, the human brain is wired in such a way that it can distinguish music from noise. So at the same time, the nervous system can respond to rhythms and tones, tunes, and reparations. So now the question is, is it a biological accident? Or does it actually serve a purpose? Research has not gone that far to determine this. A varied group of studies done on this topic have suggested that music may have the capability to enhance human health and its performance.
The human brain and music
How does music work in our bodies?
Just like any other sound, music arrives in the form of sound waves at the ears. Where the external ear collects the sound waves, the internal ear and the canal funnel the waves to the eardrum. When the waves strike the eardrum they cause vibrations which are relayed along the chain of tiny bones in the middle ear until they reach the third bone. These are called the stapes that connect to the cochlea. When it comes to the cochlea, it is a small but busy world on its own. It is spiral-shaped where vibrations of the stapes send fluid waves through it. The fluid waves then produce swaying movements of the hair cells, which, in fact, can be in count of somewhere between 10,000 to 15,000. The cells in turn then release chemical neurotransmitters, activating the auditory nerve which sends miniature electric currents to the auditory cortex that is present in the temporal lobe of the brain.
From here, it is an even more complicated task. Although every healthy human brain can perform all the complex tasks that are needed to perceive music, the brains of musicians are more finely attuned to these tasks. On the other end of the spectrum, people with brain damage might display remarkable defects in musicality. The field of neurobiology of music is highly specialized. However, music has also major effects on several other aspects of human health that can range from mood to memory to cardiovascular function and even athletic performance.
The human mind and music
“Mozart effect” is the most highly publicized mental influence of music on the human mind. It is observed that many musicians have unusual mathematical abilities. Researchers at the University of California have investigated how listening to music affects cognitive function in general. At the same time, it impacts spatial-temporal reasoning in particular. In the first study, standard IQ test questions were administered which were done to three groups of college students. In the study, a group that had spent 10 minutes listening to a Mozart piano sonata was compared to a group that had been listening to a relaxation tape along with a group that had been waiting in silence. After the detailed observation, Mozart’s group was the complete winner and the group that had been listening to him had continuously boosted test scores.
Next, the researchers wanted to check if the impact was specific to classical music or if any kind of music could have had the same performance, enhancing the mental performance. This led the team to compare Mozart’s music with repetitive music by Philip Glass. The results came back similar where Mozart seemed to help better. Listening to Mozart and classical music improved spatial reasoning as it was measured by complex paper-cutting, folding tasks, and other short-term memory tasks.
Now the question is how music might have enhanced our mind’s cognitive performance. Well, the answer is not clear, but from several researchers and observations, researchers have denoted that listening to music helps organize the firing of nerve cells which are present in the right half of the cerebral cortex. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for higher functions. Music or at least some form of music acts as an “exercise” that warms up selected brain cells, according to this construct. This allows the cells to process information more efficiently and rapidly. However, before you run to stock up on Mozart, and music turns out to have little long-term effect on cognition, a 2010 study proved that learning to play musical instruments may also enhance the brain’s ability to master tasks that involve memory, attention, and language skills.
Stress and music
Music has had the longest connection with humans as it allows them to express unsaid feelings, that words fail to express. In every ear of human history, from every corner of the world, music has been present, connecting one person to another. But music’s job is not just simply letting humans express themselves, it has the power to alter them. British dramatist William Congreve in 1697 said, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” There are only a few things that are more stressful than surgery and illness. So now the question is, can music act to reduce stress in humans, especially in strenuous situations? Well, studies done in the past have shown affirmative results.
A study done in New York examined how music affects surgical patients. The research was done on 40 cataract patients who were all in the average age of 74. Half of them were assigned to receive ordinary care, while the other half received the same care but had the choice to listen to their favorite music with headphones. They did this by listening to music before, during, and after the operations. Before the surgery, patients in both groups had similar blood pressures which rose right before the surgery. In both groups, the heart rate also remained similar. However, the patients surrounded by silence remained hypertensive throughout the operation, whereas the pressures of those who listened to music came down rapidly and stayed down in the recovery room. At the same time, the listeners also reported that they felt calmer and better during the operation. When the researchers asked doctors, the ophthalmologic surgeons had no problems communicating with their patients over the sound of the music. Earlier research found that surgeons showed fewer signs of stress while demonstrating improved performance while listening to self-selected music.
Another Italian study of 24 healthy volunteers was done where half of them were proficient musicians who found that the tempo of the music was important. They denoted that slow or meditative music produced a relaxing effect. On the other hand, faster tempos produced arousal, however, immediately after the upbeat music stopped the heart rates and blood pressures of the subjects came down below their usual rates indicating relaxation.
Human mood and music
Just like the human mind, our moods are affected by music, and there are studies to help establish it as a result. Music soothing jangled nerves is one thing, raising sagging spirits is a completely other thing, but music can do both. According to studies, cheerful and bright music has the power to make people of all ages feel happy, alert, and energetic. At the same time, music also may have a role in lifting the moods of people who have depressive illnesses. However, it may never replace medicines, but music might help a lot in depression.
Movement and music
Falling randomly without a force is a legitimate problem, especially for people who are over 65 years old. One in every three senior citizens suffers at least one fall in every year of their lives. Can music help in this cause as well? An older study on this says it can. In this study, there were 134 men and women who were 65 years and older. They were all at risk of falling but were free of any neurologic and orthopedic problems that would limit walking. Half of the volunteers were then randomly assigned to programs that trained them to walk and even perform various activities in time to music. On the other hand, the other people continued their usual activities. At the end of six months, the people who were practicing with music exhibited better gait and balance than the other group. At the same time, they also experienced 54% fewer falls. Similar programs of movement to music also appear to improve the mobility of Parkinson’s disease patients.
Various studies have proved over time that music has great impacts on our overall health, starting from our minds to our movement and agility. So music just does not make people happy, but it also helps us express our emotions and makes our bodies function better.
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