Ever since I began high school, music has been an important part of my life. Every day, on the way to and from school, I could be seen on the bus relaxing and listening to music. At first, I listened to music because it seemed like the most convenient way for me to pass time and stay entertained on my ride. However, as I got older and became more accustomed to my schedule, what I realized was that listening to music every day had a larger effect on my mental health then I thought. I realized that for me, listening to music had a meditative effect, and when I would not listen to my music, I would feel more stressed out and anxious then when I did. Therefore, I was not one bit surprised when I learned of numerous studies that have proven that listening to music every day is not only a leisure activity, but has serious effects on the brain that anyone could benefit from. I was able to have a first-hand experience of benefiting from music as a meditative tool, and hope that other students are able to realize that they should not just be listening to music for leisure, but should be making listening to music a part of their daily schedule because of the health benefits it has. One benefit of listening to music on a daily basis as a form of meditation is that music has been proven to reduce stress. This is incredibly value for college students, as according to the American College Health Association (ACHA) 2017 National College Health Assessment survey, 33.7% of college students
Music has been able to entertain the population for as long as it has been around. It is present in restaurants, clubs, and similar environments so that people can be entertained while enjoying time out with family and friends. Although music has a reputation of being a tool of entertainment, it also has the ability to benefit the health and mental state of the listener. Many studies have been conducted to shed light on the positive effects of music therapy and show that music is able to provide an even greater effect than the ordinary treatments alone.President of the Association for Music Therapy states that,“Active music engagement allowed the patients to reconnect with the healthy
In today’s day and age, people cannot go anywhere or do anything without listening to music. From elevator music, to exercise in the gym, to background music in restaurants, to the radio in the car, we cannot escape music. It is such an overlooked yet essential part of our daily lives, but what is unknown by many is that music is also used very deliberately in the lives of others. Many hospitals use music therapy to help treat their stroke patients, premature infants, those diagnosed with Alzheimer 's disease, etc. One might wonder why physicians do this, but the more prevalent questions is whether music therapy is effective or not.
Billy Joel once said, “I think music in itself is healing. It 's an explosive expression of humanity. It 's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we 're from, everyone loves music.” In many ways this quote is very accurate both socially and scientifically. Music is a vital part of almost every culture and serves many purposes culturally as a means of self expression and communication within a culture and the world at large. While music does serve several external purposes, perhaps its most important and fascinating functions happen within the brain when its making or listening to music. Over the years there have been countless studies on music 's effect on the human brain and body and many have concluded that music positively affects the brain by doing things like relieving stress and improving cognitive function, and the body as well, by relieving pain and muscular and cardio vascular tension. Music is an important part of the human experience and affects our brain, bodies and emotions in both abstract and physical ways, making it vital to many facets our well being.
Not only does music affect thought, but it also benefits health. Students usually study in quiet, relaxed surroundings while listening to serene music. Classical music can steady a fast heartbeat and a slower heartbeat induces relaxation. Exercise plays a critical role in maintaining good health, and relaxing music can be favorable to this. Music reduces muscle tension, resulting in a better work out. Scientists performed controlled studies using adult males who were around twenty-five years old. Blood samples were taken before and after treadmill running. The experiment found that with the presence of music, “heart rate, blood pressure, and lactate secretion in the brain were significantly lower” . The results proved that music
I listen to music everyday. No matter where I go theres always music playing; the stores, church, car, etc. Music is a part of my daily life. It motivates me to do and finsih things. I can’t do my homework without listening to music otherwise I begin to procastinate. “A Stanford study shows that music engages areas of the brain which are involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating events in our
A big controversy of our generation today is concerning of a topic that many of us praise and could not live without. In fact, spin.com claims that the average American listens to four hours of music each day. So is music effective or hurtful to our studying? This may be an eternal topic for we don’t truly have one answer. In numerous ways listening to music is beneficial, belie some studies have come to find out it can also be harmful. Students should be given the option to listen to music in class, but whether they choose to take upon this privilege or not is up to them.
Music has also been scientifically proven to lower stress and depression and improve one’s health.1 It is also scientifically proven that children who engage in music become more intelligent since music improves one’s memory and learning abilities. There are also
Many people have turned to exercise, better sleep habits, and their friends and families to try to reduce stress (ADAA). Listening to music is the best and safest way to reduce stress. Many people turn to drugs and alcohol when they are stressed. These forms of stress reducers can be very harmful to the body. For example, if someone is stressed and decides to smoke marijuana before they drive to work, there is impairment to the mind of the driver causing them to possibly crash. Instead of this person turning to drugs while driving, they can turn on music to reduce their stress on the way to work. When people listens to enjoyable music, they are able to forget about the stressful situations that are occurring in their life. Many are able to put themselves in another state of mind when listening to music. An altered state of mind is not as attainable through any other means. I have a personal experience with this type of stress reduction. Whenever I am feeling stressed about an exam, or an essay that is critical for my grade in a class, I listen to music to calm me down. When I listen to music, I forget about the task at hand and focus on the words of the song. When I am done listening to music I am much more productive and able to focus better on studying and writing. Many other people have told me they also experience the same benefits I do with stress reduction through music. Some people may enjoy hardcore, loud and aggressive music which can make them angry, agitated and antisocial. This can cause stress in their life because they are being influenced by the aggressive nature of the music. However, the majority of people who listen to music, do so with the intention of being soothed rather than being affected by a stress causing agent. This is obvious based on the many interactions I have had with others who appreciate listening to music. When listening to enjoyable music
Music is composed of sounds intertwined with melody and rhythm that can have powerful effects on a person. It can help people focus on tasks or calm the mind. Research has shown that music has beneficial effects on the mind, body, and health of a person. A journal article by Rastogi, Solanki, and Zafar (2013) refers, on the contrary, to:
It turns out that, the emotions evoked by music don’t just feel good, they’re healthy for the individual too. A meta-analysis conducted of 400 music studies found out that, listening to music does have the ability to reduce anxiety, fight depression and boost the immune system. In today’s world, the clinical music therapists have even started introducing, prescribing music for everything, from Alzheimer’s to autism spectrum disorder.
Music helps students stay on task and keeps them focused. “Melodious sounds help encourage the release of Dopamine, a “Feel Good” neurotransmitter in the reward area of the brain as would eating a delicacy.” Stated Dr. Amit Sood. Many studies have been concluded with results that when students listen to music they improve in their overall functions.
Some people think that music can positively influence the listener while others disagree and argue that it has a negative impact. Mark Edmundson, the author of “Can Music Save Your Life?,” asserts through his own experience and the research of others that music solely “preserves” the listener’s life as a “balm—cortisone spread” (paragraph 25). His use of a well-known medical supplement makes it more relatable and believable to the reader. The authors of “Feeling the Beat” support Edmundson by stating that they observed an increased sense of confidence in oneself and one’s beliefs in the people they interviewed(Iwamoto, Creswell, & Caldwell 346). Their main support is the quote from one of their interviewee’s who said, “We can identify what they are talking about” (Iwamoto, Creswell, & Caldwell 343). This not only explains why students listen to certain types of music, but also why it can have such an impact on them. Derek Iwamoto, John Creswell, and Leon Caldwell declare their statement that positive influence of music by stating that the majority of the students they observed used their music as a way to
In some Brainwaves studies, research has demonstrated that music with a solid beat can fortify brainwaves to reverberate in a state of harmony with the beat and with speedier beats bringing more shaper fixation and more alert thinking, and a slower rhythm advancing a calm, reflective state. Furthermore, the changes in brainwave activity levels that music can bring can also enable the brain to shift speeds more easily on its own as needed, and which means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you have stopped listening (Scott Elizabeth, 2015). In breathing and heart rate: with modifications in brainwaves comes changes in other real capacities. Those represented by the autonomic sensory system, for example, breathing and heart rate can likewise be modified by the progressions music can bring. This can means slower breathing, slower heart rate, and an enactment of the unwinding reaction, also in addition to other things. This is the reason music and music treatment can check or keep the harming impacts of endless anxiety, extraordinarily advancing unwinding, as well as wellbeing. In the perspective aspects, music can likewise be accustomed to bring a more positive perspective, keeping
The mind is greatly impacted by music by showing healthful changes (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Doctors now use music for their patients’ treatments in order to help them stay healthy (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Heart patients acquired the same benefits from listening to classical music for thirty minutes as they did from anti-anxiety medication (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Musical therapy has been used to help people with heart problems, which worked quite effectively. (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). People who have had migraines frequently, were trained to use music and relaxing procedures to reduce their headaches. Studies have also shown that music helps students with their intelligence levels (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). A majority of students had higher test scores than others because they listened to Mozart before their exam. People who listened to classical music for an hour and a half while revising manuscripts increased their accuracy by 21% (www.bellaonline.com/articles) (Mish 725.).
In recent years it’s become noticeable that students are using all different forms of music to help them while studying or doing homework. When listening to music one may notice how that person may tap their foot or drum their fingers, even though they appear to be focused on the task in front of them. The rhythm of the piece, whether it is fast or slow, causes the listener’s heartbeat to synch with it (How Music Affects Our Mood, 2014). The question however is which music to listen to. In some studies, test subjects show that the louder the music the more distracted the subjects became (Manthei, 2014). Doctor Emma Gray, a clinical psychologist in Britain, says, “If you choose the right music for the topic you are