4 Different ways music improves our health
Written By Isaac Ouro-Gnao
You might listen to music for different reasons, to distract yourself or pass time. Maybe it was in the background while you were studying or working. Music helps you feel better somehow, but only recently has science started to find out why that is. So what are different ways music improves our health? Stress & Anxiety Imagine the last time you were really stressed. Maybe your boss was being an unreasonable... boss, or you had a mountain of paperwork to sort through, and Tim a few desks down wasn't helping with his story about his weekend "bender". Or maybe your kids were leaving lego death traps around the house for you to clean up. Listening to music (especially slower tunes) can change brain activity, which can lead to reduced stress. According to research in America by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, classical sounds were able to reduce stress levels in anxious university students during a presentation. It reduced blood pressure, decreased their heart rates to a healthy level, reduced anxiety, and gave them a calm state. Slow tempo music is very therapeutic. Mozart not your cup of tea? Songs with guitar strums will do the trick – from artists like Ed Sheeran and Passenger to local artists and bands on Raw Vibes! Focus & Productivity If you play music in the background when you’re working, you’re benefiting from increased levels of productivity – but be careful, certain types of songs are very distracting! Research analysed by Psychology Today shows music, which consists of free-flowing, harmonious sounds, often used for meditation, allowed students to perform significantly better on a series of IQ tests. Popular music, such as pop and dance, helps boost productivity when they are listened to before starting a task. This is because listening to your favourites releases the feel-good chemical dopamine linked to your brain's pleasure centers. However, listening to them during work (especially to songs with lyrics you love) is incredibly distracting and hinders your focus and productivity. So you can listen to your favourite songs, just make sure you do it before you the work you’ve been putting off! Exercise & Fitness To those who enjoy a run or love a good gym session, music can help you! Listening to fast paced “pump-up” music can help run faster and longer and boost workout motivation. The natural response to fast tempo songs is to match its intensity and the length of a song can determine whether you’ll “keep going till the end of the song” and push your endurance. Want to start jogging faster or increase your endurance in the gym? Load your iPod with high energy, high tempo songs such as hip hop or dance music. And we have plenty of those on Vibe107.6! Don’t mind the shameless self-advertising. Happiness Finally, music makes you happy! Well, depending on the types of songs you listen to. A 2013 study found that music helped put people in a better mood and get in touch with their feelings. Music triggers activity in a part of your brain that releases dopamine, as mentioned before. It's the cause of that cheesy grin you have when “this is my song!” is played somewhere. It just makes you happy! There are many reasons why being happy is healthy such as having lower risks of developing illnesses, such as cancer and diabetes. An infographic by Happify points to many other benefits in a fun way. Check it out! So relax, play your favourites, get healthy and feel good! Happy listening!
