Music can be turned on for entertainment, to create a certain mood and improve well-being. Compositions of different genres affect the brain in different ways, so you can use them to…
Relax quickly
Experts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted a music experiment that confirmed that music helps cope with stress. The study was based on combinations of different frequencies, durations and amplitudes of tracks that were played to subjects, observing their state of transition from tension to relaxation. Most of the soothing compositions were versions of classical pieces close to Chopin’s music. Such pieces lowered cortisol levels in the blood and had sedative and analgesic effects.
Concentrate
If it is difficult to force yourself to take on the reports after the weekend, you need not only to find the motivation, but also to create the right conditions for the comfortable work of the brain. Scientists have found that music by Mozart and similar compositions activate attention and improve concentration. According to a report from Stanford University Medical Center, music affects areas of the brain associated with concentration and memory development. And peak brain activity occurs during periods of silence between sounds – a relaxed brain is instantly engaged. The scientists conducted the study using functional magnetic resonance imaging. They tracked which parts of the brain were most active. The specialists came to the conclusion that the music of the baroque period, written 200 years ago, helps people to gather their thoughts and process a large flow of information.
Improve the memory
Mozart’s music helps significantly improve memory and activate neural connections that affect cognitive abilities. Researchers divided participants into groups based on age, each of which included recordings of Mozart and Beethoven. At the end, it was noted that those who listened to Mozart sonatas had increased intellectual performance. People were better at remembering new information and were less biased toward solving an unfamiliar task. In the groups of participants listening to “To Elise,” such obvious changes were not observed, so the results of the experiment were called the Mozart effect.
Increase Dopamine Production
The hormone dopamine is produced as a reward for goals achieved and helps create a good mood. A study with tracking neural mechanisms using tomography showed that during the experiment, the subjects had increased blood flow and activated the parts of the brain responsible for emotion, arousal and motivation. Listening to music that you like activates the reward system in the brain just as much as sweet and fatty foods or talking to your loved ones.
Sorrow without consequence
Music psychologist Stefan Kelsch of the Free University in Germany concluded that listening to sad music has a positive effect on empathic qualities and helps people cope with problems. In his opinion, the listener associates himself with the performer, empathizes with him, and at this time the brain regulates emotions, allowing the surplus negativity to escape. At the same time, this sadness does not cause consequences on a par with the real sadness that occurs in difficult situations. Thus, sad music promotes the experience of pain without harm to psychological health.
Bleeding out negative emotions
Good news for fans of heavy metal music such as heavy metal: a study at the University of Queensland in Australia has confirmed that such music causes an outburst rather than an accumulation of aggression. The experiment involved 39 people who were exposed to punk rock, screaming and metal. Researchers asked the participants questions that could make them angry. If the music played half the time of the interview, they turned it off and on again several times in a row. People calmed down faster while listening to the tracks. According to scientists, their attention shifted to another object, which allowed them to express their aggression not on the interlocutor, but in the musical perception.
Understand the Other Person
What can his playlist say about the new acquaintance? It turns out that not only does music affect a person, but a person chooses music based on personality traits. Psychology professor Kelly Schwartze argues that heavy music fans are independent personalities, yet many of them tend to underestimate themselves and doubt their choices. Fans of popular music, according to Kelly, are able to keep their emotions under control; they seek a balance between their own desires and the opinions of others. And those who prefer different styles are able to adapt quickly to the situation and prefer to avoid conflict.