Scientifically Proven Benefits of Music

Everybody has at least one song that will activate an emotional response when heard. For many people, certain songs are reminiscent of significant past events such as their wedding ceremony, the death of a loved one, or a first date. Significant effects like these have led to a better understanding of the deep connection between humans and music. Numerous studies have proved this connection to have mental health benefits. Researchers into music have also found out that the benefits of music encompass other aspects of health other than the mental side - this has led to a wide call by health experts for music to be integrated into the health care environment. Following are some scientifically-backed benefits of music to human beings.

Music is an effective stress reliever. Numerous studies have shown that listening to music makes people feel better. For example, in a 2013 study by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, 37 pediatric patients between seven days and four years with respiratory and or cardiac problems were recruited. Each child participated in three sessions of listening to music, being read to, and no interaction.

The pediatricians recorded the children’s physiological reactions like heart rate and oxygen saturation level and pain assessment before and after each session. The results showed a significant fall in the heart rate and pain level at the end of the music session. They also found an increase in oxygen saturation level in younger patients at the end of the no interaction session.

In another study by Medical News Today (MNT), when music was played for infants, they became calmer for a longer period than when they had been spoken to, even when the speech involved baby talk.

Listening to music can also lead to enhance mood and can be used as a viable treatment for depression. In a 2011 study by McGill University, a group of 217 people were tested for various measures of “chills” or “ frisson” triggered by the same type of songs. It resulted in eight listeners whose anatomical arousal reactions such as heart rate, temperature, and breathing were the same each time they listened, even in different environments.

The core part of the study saw the eight listeners engage in more than three listening sessions, after which the researchers scanned their brains using a novel combination of magnetic resonance imaging techniques and positron emission tomography. They conducted the brain scans to examine dopamine activity in the course of both the anticipation and consumption phase of a reward.

The eight listeners filled out a questionnaire afterward to rate the amount of pleasure they derived from the songs they listened to during the sessions. The researchers stressed the uniqueness of music because, during scanning, the reward stages of the songs can be measured in real-time as the song moves from baseline neutral to anticipation and peak pleasure. They concluded the study by opining that intense pleasure derived from listening to music could result in the release of dopamine in the body.

Music can also lead to more efficient workouts. Researchers have found that more effort is naturally exerted during exercise when the music is on. For example, in a 2010 Vivo laboratory-controlled study on cycling, researchers found that cyclists biked a greater distance when they listened to fast music compared to when the music was slow.

The cyclists listened to six different songs playing at different tempos while working out. Unknown to them, the songs were played at various tempos. The results showed that when the music was sped up by ten percent, it led to an increase in distance covered by 2.1 percent, while slowing down the music 10 percent produced a fall in the distance covered by 3.8 percent. Other things that were checked were heart rate, work done, cadence measurements, and thermal comfort, all of which improved when the music was faster.