What is music?
Music is “a pattern of sounds made by musical instruments, voices, or computers, or a combination of these, intended to give pleasure to people listening to it (cambridge.org).” The first documented musical instrument was created over 40,000 years ago (humanorigins.edu). So for some reason, music has been a part of society for a long time. Music can be heard being played at events, during a super long hold on a phone call, and just in your own home. Music is everywhere and there are even concerts where people are solely going to just listen to music. But why? Why are these harmonious sounds so important to our society? Well, science can tell us why.
What does music do to the brain?
Music is something many of us listen to daily but may have never wondered why. Why do we keep putting on these songs that have random instruments playing sounds that we think sound good together? Well, it’s because our brain physically likes it. As seen below, there are so many ways our brain is being affected when we listen to a song. When you listen to a song, your brain releases dopamine, which is the brain's “feel-good chemical (kakou.org).” So, when we listen to a song, we are directly putting chemicals through our brain that are designed to make us happier. Music can distract us from physical pain in our bodies. So, it is a more natural way to help your brain reduce the perception of the pain in your body (kakou.org). Music also has the ability to alter one's breath and heart rate (kakou.org). This allows us to go from a really stressful moment in time to calming us down. Music acts as a major coping skill. It is something that our body can physically rely on to help with the things listed above. There is such power with music that we must also be aware of the types of music we are listening to.
Types of Music Matter
I want to emphasize that music is so important that we must be careful about what we listen to. One type of music that tends to have a more positive impact on the brain is classical because it tends to promote relaxation which can reduce anxiety (lmtmusicacademy.co.uk). While a type of music such as rock can increase anger and depending on the person, may actually help one have more emotion regulation (lmtmusicacademy.co.uk). Another type of music known as hip-hop may give you more self-esteem through the stories told in the songs (lmtmusicacademy.co.uk). This shows just how versatile music is. It can be hard to know the impact that music has on someone. To know if the music is helping, the main thing to notice is do you feel better after listening to the song? Such as feeling happier, more empowered, more confident, etc. If the song does the opposite and makes you sad, you might want to rethink what you are listening to. Music impacts our mind, so you want to make sure you are listening to music you want your brain to grow with. There is power in music, so use it to your advantage and let it empower you in a healthy way.
Hope Brayfield 6/16/25
References
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/music
https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/behavior/art-music
https://www.kakou.org.uk/your-brain-on-music/
https://www.lmtmusicacademy.co.uk/effects-of-different-music-genres-on-your-psychological-state