Mrs. S couldn’t talk but she sure could sing. I met her when I was an intern on the Neurology service. She had suffered a stroke that destroyed critical speech pathways on the left side of the brain. The cerebrovascular accident had left her literally speechless but that didn’t stop her from belting out “Happy Birthday.”
This is not news to neurologists. For over a century, this phenomenon has been observed in post-stroke patients with left-sided brain damage.What is new, however, is the finding that “singing therapy” can help some of these patients learn to speak again.By training the undamaged brain regions involved with singing, language can be restored.
In addition to helping stroke victims, there are many reasons to take a break from that podcast and press pause on the audiobook and let the music play instead:
“When people get together and hear the same music—such as in a concert hall—it tends to make their brains synch up in rhythmic ways, including a shared emotional experience” explainsEd Large, a music psychologist at the University of Connecticut.
3. Music facilitates emotional time travel
If asked to describe a memory from high school, you could easily recount a moment in time but if you listened to a song from that period, it would emotionally transport you back to what you were feeling and doing.
Why do some songs sing to us and others fall flat? According to a study published inPsychological Science, songs that make us think of someone in our own lives are the ones that resonate most deeply.The secret sauce of the songs we love the most is that they encourage “narrative transportation” — but rather than transporting usout ofour own lives, the lyrics activate thoughts of someoneinour own life.It comes as no surprise that the study found that we prefer songs that use more second person pronouns like “you” and “yours.”
So when Whitney Houston sings, “I will always love you” or Hall and Oates croons “Your kiss is on my list,” the listener knows that the singers are not directly addressing them. (It’s disappointing but I’ve come to accept that Whitney will not always love me and that my kiss is was not on Daryl Hall’s list.)Instead, these songs are inviting us to slip into the performer’s shoes and to think of someone—our own personal “you”—whose kiss is onourlist or whowewill always love.Along these lines, when Taylor Swift sings “You showed me colors you know I can’t see with anyone else” and “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, but I want ‘em all,” she is inviting us to think of a special someone. Of course, it is not only warm and fuzzy feelings about others that these songs activate. Sadness, sentimentality and empowerment are also on offer in these “other-oriented” songs. When Taylor belts our “We are never ever getting back together,” surely a not-so-special someone pops into your head. Whatever she sings, it is music to my ears.
As a general rule, as people get older they stop keeping up with popular music.“Taste freeze” apparently locks in around 33 years old.As an informal onlinestudyconcluded, “for the average listener, by their mid-30s, their tastes have matured, and they are who they’re going to be.”
Not so fast. It is thanks to Taylor Swift that my “taste freeze” has melted away. Folklore was the game changer. Ever since I have become a card carrying Swiftie. Indeed it is because of Taylor that I gotolderandwiser. Along with every teenage girl on the planet, I know the words to almost every Taylor Swift song and feel inexplicably personally connected to her. Her songs may be about her life but they feel like they are about my life as well. From Lover to Mastermind, I feel the power and the pain. My obsession with Taylor was under wraps until I read the article inAir Mail,Rise of the Senior Swiftie: It’s not just tweens and teens who are knocked out by Taylor Swift.She’s a hit with boomers too.
While not quite a boomer, it was still a relief to learn that I am not alone in my (anti) hero worship. According to the article, attorney general Merrick Garland is a proud Swiftie. So is Shakespeare scholar, Jonathan Bate, who describes Taylor as a “literary giant.”
A New York City-based psychiatrist recently wrote an op-edabout how Taylor Swift has rocked her practice:
“What would Taylor Swift do?” is a refrain among certain patients in my practice. Teenagers suffer for many reasons. One is being fragile and in formation—a human construction site. Another is being surrounded by others who are fragile and in formation. Ms. Swift articulates not only the treachery of bullying but also the cruelty just shy of it that is even more pervasive: meanness, exclusion, intermittent ghosting.She says: Borrow my strength; embrace your pain; make something beautiful with it—and then you canshake it off.
I have always believed that well-being is a verb and that we are all in the process of becoming.Of course, Taylor captures it best. In Dear Reader, she sings “Desert all your past lives and if you don’t recognize yourself that means you did it right.” I am filled with immense gratitude to Taylor for reminding me to feast on auditory cheesecake.
When we listen to our favorite songs, dopamine is released by two distinct areas of the brain—one involved with intense pleasure and the other involved with anticipation. This combination may explain why people love music so much. Even sad music has been shown to help people feel better.
The chills you feel when you hear a particularly moving piece of music may be the result of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers sensations of pleasure and well-being. As your brain becomes familiar with a particular song, your body may release dopamine upon hearing just the first few notes of the song.
The subjective experience of music across cultures can be mapped within at least 13 overarching feelings: amusem*nt, joy, eroticism, beauty, relaxation, sadness, dreaminess, triumph, anxiety, scariness, annoyance, defiance, and feeling pumped up.
Some key areas include: Auditory cortex: Located in the temporal lobes, the auditory cortex is responsible for processing and interpreting sounds, including music. Prefrontal cortex: This area, located in the frontal lobes, is involved in various cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, and decision-making.
The power and influence of music on the human mind and behaviour are undeniable On one hand, it can contribute to an improved mood and help with symptoms of anxiety and depression, while on the other, it can also promote aggression, substance use, and stereotyping.
Anything that gives you pleasure will trigger the release of dopamine. This can range from a fun activity you enjoy, like dancing or cooking, to sex, shopping, and even certain drugs. Dopamine activates the reward pathway in the brain, leading you to desire these activities more.
Classical music is a winner at helping you focus. Music that has a tempo of 60 bpm (beats per minute) increases the efficiency of the brain in processing information. The best way to use it is to have it playing softly in the background as you get on with your tasks.
Indeed, scientific research shows that people listen to music in order to: (a) improve their performance on certain tasks (music helps us combat boredom and achieve our optimal levels of attention while driving, studying, and working); (b) stimulate their intellectual curiosity (by concentrating and analysing the music ...
Apart from causing you to miss out on all the sounds that surround you, generally speaking, listening to music does not harm your body. It does not damage your liver, poison your lungs or fry your brain. It is not possible to listen to too much music.
Research shows our brains create expectations when listening to a song. For example, it would figure out if a beat is steady or the melody makes sense. But we especially like it when songs surprise us with smart, quirky changes. This analysis takes place in the brain's prefrontal cortex.
Tears and chills – or “tingles” – on hearing music are a physiological response which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, as well as the reward-related brain regions of the brain. Studies have shown that around 25% of the population experience this reaction to music.
1. Reminiscing. Listening to music that was played a lot during a significant life event (e.g., a family celebration) many years ago can trigger a deeply nostalgic emotional experience. The feeling is not in the music, but in what it reminds us of.
Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.
Music therapy is generally very safe and has no side effects. But very loud music or particular types of music might irritate some people or make them feel uncomfortable. The music might trigger strong reactions or evoke memories which could range from pleasant to painful.
There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does. If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.
Typically, these parts of the brain light up from stimuli like hugs from loved ones. However, good music can trigger the same reaction, hence the instant mood boosts. Apart from making you feel happier, music can also reduce your stress levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.
Music has long been used as a source of comfort and solace in times of distress. It can provide a sense of connection, support, and understanding during difficult moments. The history of music in healthcare has shown that music can reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and even chronic physical pain.
Pop, rock, and dance rank as the three happiest genres of music, while 71 percent feel music is one of the most powerful influences for changing or reinforcing their mood. Half believe the power of music is actually underestimated, and 38 percent recognize it can deliver amazing highs and lows.
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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