Music and neuroscience are rapidly expanding. There are many ways that music can change and engage the brain. Let’s talk about how music can affect the brain and mood. It can engage emotion, memory, neuroplasticity and learning. We can see how music can engage the brain in many different ways. This will help us understand how creating a consistent musical program can target certain brain functions.
Emotion
Music stimulates emotions via specific brain circuits, according to research. It is easy to see how music and the brain affect mood and emotion in children who smile and begin to dance to a certain rhythm. The music is uplifting, and he feels joy. This is also what happens when parents and children connect through song. You may have heard a mother sing a lullaby for her baby. This is one of the most important bonding experiences you’ll ever see between people.
Music has a profound effect on the brain. It is an emotional experience that can also affect the body. This is due to a hormone called oxytocin, which is related to bonding. Singing can release the “cuddle hormone,” or as it is sometimes known, “cuddle hormone”. It’s no wonder that music can be an emotional experience for both mother and child.
Research also shows that music can affect mood and produce beneficial molecules in our biological pharmacies.
Music can cause peak emotions. This increases dopamine levels in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Although emotions are often felt from the heart, many emotional stimuli are transmitted through the brain. We now understand music’s effects on the brain and heart, allowing us to find innovative ways to use music and the brain to build emotional understanding between people. The Journal of Music Therapy has published a study that shows songs can be used as a means of communication to increase autistic child’s emotional understanding. Study participants were asked to choose songs that represented different emotions. A composition by Beethoven could be used as a symbol of sadness, or “Happy” by Pharrell could be used for joy. Children could identify and indicate their emotions based on the songs they represented. Music was able to succeed where verbal language failed. Music can connect the brain and the heart. Music can evoke and engage our emotions at all stages of our lives, both individually and collectively. Music can trigger the deepest emotions and help us deal with grief, sadness and anger, even if they are stored on a subconscious level.
Memory
Imagine an older man sitting in a wheelchair. His head drops to his chest, almost as if he is unconscious. Henry is his name, and sadly, he has severe Alzheimer’s. What could he do to reconnect with the world and increase his awareness?
Alive Inside is a movie about how music can help with memory recovery and improve brain health and quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients. Henry’s caretaker interviews his family to discover the music Henry liked before Alzheimer’s. The caretaker creates playlists that include music specific to Henry and helps him reconnect with the world. He is aware of his surroundings and can communicate with others. His music helped him to regain his connection with his life. Petr Janata, University of California, Davis, found in 2009 that the brain can associate music and memories with emotionally salient episodic memories.10 This means that familiar music from the past can help people reconnect with meaningful, deep memories.
These principles will be used to create playlists that evoke specific emotional responses.
Learning and Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to self-organization by creating new neural connections throughout life. It can be greatly affected and influenced by music and brain harmony. MedicineNet.com states that neuroplasticity allows neurons (nerve cells in the brain) to adapt to new circumstances or changes in their environment.
Further clarification: When our brains are damaged, they can create or find new pathways that allow us to function normally. Music can be used to stimulate the brain to make these pathways and help it rewire itself after brain injury. In a landmark study, the University of Newcastle in Australia used popular music to aid patients with severe brain injuries recall their memories. The music affected the patients’ ability to recall memories that they had previously lost.
It is like getting directions to a place. There may be an alternate route if a road is blocked or you get stuck in traffic. Your brain can be helped by music to map an alternate route.
Ex-congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is a great example. Giffords suffered a brain injury from a gunshot wound that left her unable to talk. Engaging her brain through music therapy and singing was a way for her to give new information and reorganize her brain. This helped her to learn the language again.
Although this is a rare case, many people have experienced neuroplasticity at some point. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to repair and find alternative pathways to memories, emotions and physical systems. Music is a great way to achieve this effect.
Attention
Have you ever heard a song that grabs your attention so deeply it changes the way you think? Music can activate, sustain, or improve our attention by engaging our brains and attention correctly.
A Stanford University School of Medicine research team used brain images of listeners to short symphonies composed by an unknown eighteen-century composer to study the relationship between music and our ability to focus. They found that the peak brain activity was observed during brief periods of silence between musical movements. This was when it seemed like nothing was happening. Researchers speculated that music might help the brain anticipate future events and keep more attention. This was evident in the research team’s findings from Stanford University School of Medicine.
I believe that silences are part of the intention of every composer to help the listener understand and integrate the music. The space between the notes is what captivates us and allows our busy minds to connect with the heart. This is where true healing and balance can occur as our brain and hearts move into coherence.
We have all seen how music can affect our mood and make us less attentive to tasks.
This is a very good idea. Contrary to the previous study’s attentive silences, songs can negatively engage our attention. We become part of the song’s story or scene. Lyrics can be descriptive and stimulate our analytical minds. Lyrically heavy music may cause people to lose focus.
As we progress in the chapters, you will learn how to use music and your brain to reach specific states. Learn how music can alter moods, relax, increase focus, and motivate. Amazingly, your brain and heart can be assisted in moving to more balanced and synced states by using music, sound and vibration.
It’s possible to put it into practice: Music can affect your brain and mood.
We have now seen the positive effects of music on the brain. Let’s see how we can implement some of these benefits in our daily lives.
Use an Instrument
Music improvisation is an example of how music can affect your brain’s left and right sides. While our technical skills are used to play an instrument, they affect the left side of your brain. The new ideas and improvisations that flow through you affect the right. We also tap into our heart’s power by integrating the music with our emotions. Spiritually, I feel that when I improvise, the ideas flow through me in collaboration with others and connection to a greater field. Improvisation is a great way to stimulate your brain and heart through music. This isn’t just for musicians. I’ve seen friends improvise songs at karaoke nights!
An improvisation is a powerful tool that can influence your mood and brain. You can use it in many areas of your life to find creative solutions and spontaneous thought. This can help you with daily challenges.
Sing
Singing has many benefits for the heart and brain. It’s not about how good you sing, but the act of singing. Studies have shown that even bad singing can be a powerful skill. Studies have shown that singing (even bad singing!) can provide cognitive, emotional, and social benefits. Later chapters will also show you how music can improve your mood, speech function, stress, anxiety, and depression.
Chant
Chanting, a form of music has been used for thousands of years to affect the mood and form deeper spiritual connections in the brain. This is particularly true for the sound om, which is believed to contain all sounds in the universe.
Chanting om can help us release our mind chatter and allow us to focus on a deeper spiritual connection. Chanting is good for the physical as well as the spiritual body.
One pioneering study found that chanting the word “om” could activate the brain area associated with inner peace and calmness. While people sang different sounds and syllables, Chanting was not beneficial, but chanting om activated an area of the brain associated with peacefulness.
Drum
Research has shown that certain musical beats can influence mood and induce relaxation. Studies have also shown that group drumming can lead to significant improvements in social-emotional behaviors. Amazing collaborations are being made due to the potential brain benefits of drumming. To gain a deeper understanding of how music affects brain wave states.