{"id":317,"date":"2020-05-29T04:04:22","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T04:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/docintosh.com\/blog\/?p=317"},"modified":"2020-05-28T08:26:56","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T08:26:56","slug":"how-music-affects-the-human-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/docintosh.com\/blog\/how-music-affects-the-human-brain-2020-29-05\/","title":{"rendered":"How Music Affects The Human Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\n

It wouldn\u2019t be an exaggeration to say that music is one of our closest friends. Think about everything it does for us \u30fc it is always there when you need it, you can dance along with it, it has something for every mood of yours, it never makes you feel alone and you will always feel better after spending time with it. The fact that music has been around for a long time and plays important roles in various cultures, proves its constant relevance in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music has a universal effect. People around the world respond to it in a universal way. For this reason, researchers started studying its effect on our brains. It was found that music activates and engages all <\/em>parts of the brain. Playing, and even just listening to songs and melodies, can make you smarter, happier, healthier, and more productive at all stages of life. It also helps in reducing stress, pain and symptoms of depression as well as improving cognitive and motor skills, spatial-temporal learning and neurogenesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that the world is on a lockdown, more and more people are finding an escape in songs. Listening to our favourite jams is something that we do to calm ourselves down instead of just enjoying the tune. Songs and karaoke nights are bringing families as well as strangers together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effect of Music on Brain Functions<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
  1. Emotion: <\/strong>Music helps people bond because of it. Whether it\u2019s with your own self (dancing and singing when you\u2019re cleaning the house all alone) or with your friends (antakshari <\/em>on sleepover nights) or even with your parents (mom\u2019s lullaby that put you to sleep when you were a kid), it brings people closer because it affects their emotions. Listening to songs releases oxytocin i.e. the cuddle hormone and dopamine i.e. the happy hormone. 
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  2. Memory: <\/strong>Studies have actively demonstrated the link between music and memory. We associate a part of our life to our favourite songs or tunes, which get stored as our memories. Even patients with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers do not forget certain memories associated with familiar sounds.
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  3. Learning and Neuroplasticity: <\/strong>When our brain is damaged, it can find or create new pathways to function properly. This is called neuroplasticity. In cases of brain injury, for example, music can provide the stimuli to create these new pathways and to help the brain rewire itself. It provides or helps you find alternate routes of healing and growing. Many cases have demonstrated the its effect on a patients\u2019 brain\u2019s ability to reconnect to memories they previously could not access.
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  4. Attention: <\/strong>By engaging our brain and our attention in the right ways, music is able to activate, sustain, and improve our attention. A listener pays the most attention to the spaces of silence between a composer\u2019s musical act. This silence is the period of attention, introspection and reflection for the listener. Soft and calming sounds help improve our attention while loud and upbeat ones make it difficult to concentrate. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    What can music do?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    This one is a long list. It can\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n