The Benefits of Listening to Music

Listening to music benefits us individually and collectively. Here’s what research tells us about the power of music to improve our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Music connects us
Researcher think one of the most important functions of music is to create a feeling of cohesion or social connectedness.
Evolutionary scientists say human beings may have developed a dependence on music as a communication tool. Music remains a powerful way of uniting people, but how does music benefit us as individuals?

Music’s effects on the mind

It can lead to better learning
Doctors recommend that you listen to music to stimulate your brain. Researchers now know that just the promise of listening to music can make you want to learn more.

It can improve memory
Music also has a positive effect on your ability to memorize. While music doesn’t reverse the memory loss experienced by people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, music has been found to slow cognitive decline, helping people with mild or moderate dementia remember episodes from their lives.

It can help treat mental illness
Music literally changes the brain. Neurological researchers have found that listening to music triggers the release of several neurochemicals that play a role in brain function and mental health:

• dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure and “reward” centers
• stress hormones like cortisol
• serotonin and other hormones related to immunity
• oxytocin, a chemical that fosters the ability to connect to others

Music’s effects on mood

It can help lower anxiety
There’s lots of evidence that listening to music can help calm you in situations where you might feel anxious. Different researches concluded that, while listening to music before a stressful event doesn’t reduce anxiety, listening to relaxing music after a stressful event can help your nervous system recover faster.

It helps the symptoms of depression
A 2017 research review concluded that listening to music, particularly classical combined with jazz, had a positive effect on depression symptoms, especially when there were several listening sessions conducted by board certified music therapists.

Music’s effects on the body

It can help your heart health
Music can make you want to move — and the benefits of dancing are well documented.

It decreases fatigue
Anyone who has ever rolled down car windows and turned up the radio knows that music can be energizing. There’s solid science behind that lived experience.

It boosts exercise performance
Exercise enthusiasts have long known that music enhances their physical performance.

It can help manage pain
Specially trained music therapists use music to help alleviate pain in inpatient and outpatient settings.
 

Sources: Health Line