HealthcareHow Music Connects With Health and Wellness

The connection between science and sound is not often consciously acknowledged, but the impact of music on the mind and body is a scientifically measurable occurrence that can drastically improve health and wellness. The sensors in our brain pick up on the vibrations that music emits and interprets music as electrical signals that find a home in the brain stem–telling us that we are listening to a melody.

Music can make life much brighter, and here are a few ways that the power of music can cultivate health and wellness in your everyday life.

It Prevents Your Brain From Aging

Listening to music can be much more than just a pleasurable pastime, and medical research reveals that cognitive function can increase when listening to music regularly. Increasing memory, improving mood, and reducing stress levels are just some of the many benefits music offers. Familiar music can help individuals recall memories from a distant past, and music therapy can be used as a tool to relieve symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to map out the effects of music on the brain. Otolaryngologists (head and neck doctors) have also observed just how complex the interaction between music and the brain really is. When music is played, the brain becomes active in a healthy way to process the experience and transmit information to the brainstem. This active interaction livens brain activity in a healthy way and pushes the brain towards peak performance.

Creativity Flourishes in a Musical Brain

Divergent thinking, otherwise known as creativity, comes alive when music meets the brain. Studies show that cognitive flexibility increases when positive music is played, and this is what propels innovation, problem-solving, and creative genius. Listening to music while working has proven to be highly beneficial because it encourages the brain to explore, play and it can enhance your mood.

Music’s effect on creative cognition, specifically when listening to “happy” music that produces a positive mood, in comparison to silence, cultivates creativity because of its ability to lead the brain to generate persistent and flexible patterns of thought. Developing a flexible thinking style is not a purely creative function, but this manner of thinking is helpful in developing verbal or artistic creativity.

Listening to Music Could Help Fight Migraines

Many pain management programs involve music therapy because it can decrease the perception of pain. Migraine is one of the most debilitating diseases on the planet, and using music as a non-medicinal therapy has helped many who suffer from this illness find comfort. Finding the right kind of audio therapy that works against migraines depends on the type and severity of the attack and the individual. When choosing to attempt audio therapy, using speakers instead of headphones will likely be more soothing.

Slow, melodic music has been determined to help the most, but anything that makes you feel better and calm works well to combat and treat headaches. Binaural beat technology (BBT) can also be used to alleviate migraines. Binaural beats are two similar yet separate tones that are each played in a different ear. The brain then computes the two frequencies and makes a third one, which is known as a binary beat. BBT is known to promote a state of deep relaxation and harmony.

Music Can Improve Mental Health

The mental health crisis in the U.S. is worsening, and 40 percent of adults reported personal struggles with their mental health last year. Music alters our brain for the better and can be a powerful tool in treating mental illness. Listening to music triggers elements such as the reward centers of our brain, otherwise known as dopamine; serotonin, which helps us fight diseases; and oxytocin, which is a chemical that helps us feel more connected to others. It also helps to lower stress and anxiety and can help keep us motivated to live our best lives.

Music-based meditation and music therapy can help to create a calm atmosphere and build confidence and self-expression. Music helps us to look inward and process emotions in an individual way. It can also be used as a tool to combat depression, serves as an extrinsic motivator, and can be a source of encouragement.

Final Thoughts

The full impact that music has on health and wellness may never be completely understood, but the fact that humans have been making music for over 40,000 years shows how ingrained the art of sound is in our world. Music is very much like water. It fills our bodies and adapts to our mental spaces in a highly individual way. Researchers believe that music connects human beings to each other and has been used as a way to build community and communicate since arboreal species (tree dwellers) would call to each other from far away.

Music is a critical part of our lives and serves as a social unifier that has helped build community and unify humanity under a single cause. Using music in our daily routines allows us to experience restoration and healing as often as we turn on our favorite song, and a wide world of wellness can be accessed easily by hitting a play button.

Abigail Baker is a writer for BassBath, a new sound healing experience from SUBPAC based on zero-gravity, low-frequency audio technology for peak performance and mental wellness. She frequently covers topics related to music’s effects on cognitive functioning, physical well-being, and emotional expression.